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The Pittsburgh Penguins are ready to make a major move in the trade market. Pittsburgh has bounced back in 2025-26 after enduring a disappointing previous season. Although they are barely holding on to a playoff spot at the moment, it is a significant improvement on a team that finished seventh in the Metropolitan Division in 2024-25.
While Pittsburgh is recovering, the club has a potential serious issue looking into the future. Superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, as well as blueliners Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson, are all edging closer to retirement. As a result, GM Kyle Dubas will be looking to add significant firepower to help ease the transition into the new era.
The Athletic’s Josh Yohe is now reporting that the Penguins will take a big swing at acquiring Jason Robertson. In fact, Dubas apparently “absolutely loves” Robertson. The superstar winger is currently in his final year under contract with the Dallas Stars. Although the Stars want to retain Robertson, a deal will be difficult. Dallas does not have a ton of money to work with, and the American winger is set for a significant pay raise.
As Yohe points out, the Stars already have over $56 million tied up through 2029 in just six players. According to PuckPedia.com, Dallas is expected to have around $16 million available to spend this summer. Nevertheless, the club has several holes to fill outside of just re-signing Robertson. The winger will likely land a contract in the $12 million AAV range.
Pittsburgh Penguins Have Draft Picks, Players, and Money to Acquire Jason Robertson
GettyJason Robertson has become a superstar in Dallas.
Assuming Dallas cannot come to an agreement with Robertson, Pittsburgh is well-positioned to make an appetizing trade offer. First of all, Dubas has stockpiled draft picks and prospects in recent years. The Penguins have a plethora of selections in the future and could use several picks in any deal for Robertson.
On top of draft picks, Dallas will also likely want to acquire an NHL-ready player or two if it loses the winger. Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell are both solid forwards and under contract until the summer of 2028. The duo also only earns around $5 million AAV each.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, Pittsburgh has plenty of money to reward Robertson with a massive contract. The Penguins have over $25 million in current cap space as of now, and that figure will rise to around $52 million in the summer. As Yohe puts it, they “could spend whatever it takes” to grab Robertson.
Penguins Eye Robertson as 2026 Free Agency Looks Thin
It remains to be seen how enticing Pittsburgh would be to Robertson. The star did, however, previously name Jaromir Jagr as his favorite player growing up as a kid. The former Penguins superstar played over 800 games in his illustrious career in Pittsburgh and collected back-to-back Stanley Cup titles with the team.
As the Penguins start to think about life without Crosby and Malkin, they desperately need a new superstar in place. Dubas certainly does not want to endure a lengthy rebuild. Because free agency is looking fairly thin in 2026, targeting Robertson via trade appears to be the best option for the team.
Christopher Moore Christopher Moore has been a Heavy.com contributor since 2025. With over a decade of experience in the industry, he has published thousands of articles reporting on multiple professional sports. He was previously a sports writer for World Soccer Talk, the Yahoo! Contributor Network, and the Maryland Sports Blog. More about Christopher Moore
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