Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer when the one-year, $12MM deal he signed in July is set to expire. Per the league’s CBA rules, the Stars are not able to sign Robertson to a contract extension before January.
Pierre LeBrun reported on TSN’s Insider Trading that Stars GM Jim Nill is hoping to begin fresh talks with Robertson’s camp (led by Octagon’s Andy Scott) on a potential contract extension. According to LeBrun, Robertson “wants to stay in Dallas” and “loves” being a Star, and the Stars themselves “want to finally figure this out.” But it’s unclear whether that mutual interest will actually lead to a breakthrough and a new contract.
Robertson, 27, stands to earn a substantial pay raise regardless of which team is paying him. If he were to hit the open market, he would be one of the best forwards available in free agency in recent memory.
Robertson has a career-high of 46 goals and 109 points, and has scored at around a point-per-game rate in every season he’s played dating back to the 2021-22 campaign. Last season, Robertson scored 45 goals and 96 points, as well as five goals and eight points in six playoff games.
So far this year, he’s managed five goals and 13 points in 12 games. Robertson’s camp could reasonably point to the $17MM AAV earned by Minnesota Wild star winger Kirill Kaprizov as a comparable.
Other notes from the Central Division:
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that 25-year-old Arthur Kaliyev has signed an AHL PTO with the Iowa Wild. With over 200 NHL games on his resume, Kaliyev is looking for an NHL contract and will ramp up playing at the AHL level in hopes of earning one.
The 2019 second-round pick lost his grip on an NHL spot during the 2025-26 season, but showed he could still be a lethal scorer with his performances in the AHL. In 70 games for the Belleville Senators, Kaliyev led the AHL in goals with 40, putting up a total of 68 points.
That’s the kind of firepower Iowa currently lacks, as they currently rank 24th in the AHL in terms of goals scored.
Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Alex Vlasic has been downgraded to questionable for tonight’s game against the Detroit Red Wings, per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times. He’s currently dealing with an illness.
If Vlasic isn’t able to play, Chicago will be forced to shuffle its defense to account for the loss of the blueliner who has taken on the No. 1 defenseman role with Bowen Byram out. Vlasic is also the Blackhawks’ lead penalty killer.
If he misses tonight’s game, 23-year-old Ethan Del Mastro figures to draw into the lineup.