Bad news hits Jason Robertson shortly after he signs new contract with the Stars

Stars general manager Jim Nill announced the deal, which matches Mikko Rantanen for the highest salary on the roster.

Robertson led Dallas with 45 goals and 96 points in 82 games last season.

The number everyone is chasing is the one he refused. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported Seattle offered roughly $15 million a year over eight years, about $120 million, as part of a sign-and-trade built around the seventh overall pick.

Byron Bader spoke for most fans above. But the real cost is not the dollars, it is the calendar.

The new collective bargaining agreement takes effect September 16, 2026. From that date, the maximum term is seven years for a player re-signing with his own club and six years for a free agent signing elsewhere.

Seattle's offer was one of the last eight-year deals the NHL will ever permit. Robertson did not just decline $120 million, he declined a length of contract that will no longer be legal when he next negotiates.

Run the math on the same eight-season window. Robertson banks $12 million in 2026-27, leaving $108 million to recover.

If he re-signs in Dallas, seven years at roughly $15.4 million annually gets him there, realistic with the cap climbing to $113.5 million in 2027-28.

If he leaves as a free agent, six years is the ceiling, and he needs $18 million per season. That would top Kirill Kaprizov's $17 million record and make Robertson the highest-paid player in league history.

So the bet is narrower than it looks. Robertson can beat Seattle's offer, but only by staying exactly where he already is.

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