Jim Nill asked the same question Saturday that everyone around the NHL wants to know the answer to.
“Our preference is to re-sign Jason Robertson,” he said at his media availability at the conclusion of the 2026 NHL draft. “Can we make it work?”
The Stars and their star left winger have made headlines across the league over the last few weeks as they negotiate a long-term contract extension. Robertson is a restricted free agent this summer and is set to be an unrestricted free agent next summer if a long-term deal isn’t reached. Making $7.75 million on his current contract set to expire July 1, Robertson is due for a massive raise.
But the two sides haven’t been able to agree on what that raise should be.
Several reports indicate the Stars and Robertson are about $2 million apart on their contract proposals, with the Stars offering Robertson around $12 million and the forward asking for $14 million. Their inability to reach a compromise has prompted the Stars to explore trading their leading goal scorer.
Nill confirmed Saturday reports that the Stars had set up a sign-and-trade deal with the Seattle Kraken. Seattle would’ve signed Robertson to an eight-year contract worth $15 million annually, and the return would’ve included Seattle’s seventh overall pick in this weekend’s NHL draft, per reports, but Robertson killed the deal. Nill wouldn’t elaborate on the deal and its return any further.
While Robertson doesn’t have a no-move clause, he can decide not to sign a long-term extension. Without that guarantee, many teams won’t agree to trade for him.
“That’s his right,” Nill said. “He’s earned his right. We have our right to do what we have to do, too. That’s part of the business that we’re in.”
Even after the Seattle proposal, Nill wouldn’t say whether he thinks it’s more likely the team trades or re-signs Robertson at this point. He maintained that Dallas’ preference is to extend the forward if they can make it work for both sides.
“In the end, we’ve got to do our job,” Nill said. “If there’s an opportunity to make that we think is a good opportunity for our team, we have to do it. [The Seattle deal] was also a good opportunity for him. In the end, it didn’t materialize. Now, we continue to talk. I talked to his representatives right after that, and we continue to move forward.”
Robertson’s contract negotiation may be the most pressing issue, but Nill and his staff have a number of unresolved matters to work out between now and July 1.
The Stars have a number of depth players who are pending unrestricted free agents. They have to negotiate a raise for restricted free agent Mavrik Bourque. They have to determine whether captain Jamie Benn will come back, and if so, at what price? They also have to explore the market for other top trade targets like Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin and Norris Trophy winner Zach Werenski from Columbus.
The Stars have been linked to both players, but Nill cautioned against believing those rumors.
“Some of the things you hear might not be true,” he said. “I’ll do my calls. We’ll talk to teams. That’s what we’re going to work through over the next four or five days.”
When it comes to Robertson, the Stars also have to anticipate the potential that another team could give him an offer sheet or that Robertson could try to force his way to arbitration, dragging on the negotiations far longer than the Stars would hope and making it more difficult for them to round out their roster on July 1.
“We’re prepared,” Nill said. “We just don’t know what direction it’s going to go.”