DALLAS — Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill said Thursday that Dallas plans to sign Jason Robertson to a new contract sometime this season, before the winger can reach unrestricted free agency for the first time. Nill made the comments in an interview on NHL Network.
Robertson’s arbitration filing gave both sides a deadline.
“It’s always going to be hard. You’re dealing with star players and they deserve to get paid,” Nill said. “And we’re trying to find the right number that makes it fit so we can keep our team together. And so I don’t want to say it’s tough negotiations. It just takes time. It’s patience. It’s time. And until you hit deadlines, nothing really happens.”
“In the end, Jason, they filed for arbitration, which gives you a deadline, which is probably the best thing for both parties,” Nill continued. “And so we were able to get that deal done. And then now moving forward, our plan is to try to get him signed here this season sometime before it comes to UFA.”
The One-Year, $12 Million Contract
Robertson filed on July 5, one of 15 players in the league to file that day. The Stars announced the one-year, $12 million contract on the night of July 21, four days before his scheduled hearing in Toronto and a day before his 27th birthday. He becomes eligible to sign an extension Jan. 1.
The salary matches Mikko Rantanen for the highest on the Dallas roster in 2026-27, and Robertson became the 28th player in the NHL scheduled to earn more than $10 million this season, ESPN reported.
Jason Robertson’s 2025-26 Season
Robertson led Dallas with 45 goals, 51 assists, and 96 points in 82 games last season. It was his highest total since 2022-23, when he had 46 goals, 63 assists, and 109 points. In six playoff games he had 5 goals, 3 assists, and 8 points, and the 5 goals led Dallas.
Across 456 regular-season games, all with the Stars, Robertson has 213 goals, 277 assists, and 490 points. Dallas drafted him in the second round of the 2017 NHL Draft.
The Seattle Sign-And-Trade And What Comes Next
Before the one-year deal, the Stars had a sign-and-trade framework in place that would have sent Robertson to the Seattle Kraken for the No. 7 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, ESPN reported. Robertson was not willing to sign a long-term contract with Seattle, which had offered eight years.
The one-year term sends Robertson to unrestricted free agency on July 1, 2027 if nothing is signed before it. Beginning Jan. 1, the two sides can agree to an extension of up to seven years, the Dallas Morning News reported. Dallas could also trade him ahead of the March deadline.
The NHL salary cap rose to $104 million for 2026-27 from $95.5 million a season ago. Pro Hockey Rumors, working from PuckPedia figures, listed Dallas last month at $105,360,333 in cap charges, or $1,360,333 over the ceiling, with $2.08 million in dead cap from a carryover bonus charge.
Rantanen just finished the first season of the eight-year, $96 million extension he signed to facilitate the March 2025 trade that brought him to Dallas from the Carolina Hurricanes. Tyler Seguin, who skated Tuesday at the team’s practice facility as he works back from a torn right ACL, is one of nine pending unrestricted free agents on the roster, according to TSN.
Dallas opens training camp Sept. 17 at Comerica Center in Frisco. The Stars host the St. Louis Blues in the regular-season opener on Oct. 2 at American Airlines Center, with puck drop at 8 p.m. CT on TNT.
