Stars and Jason Robertson Face Urgent Arbitration Deadline

The Jason Robertson saga is finally reaching a breaking point. According to Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas News, Robertson has until 4 p.m. CT Sunday to file for salary arbitration against the Dallas Stars — and if he does, both sides could end up in a scenario neither one originally wanted.

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Robertson had reportedly been hoping to lock down a long-term extension with Dallas, but those talks haven’t produced a deal. That leaves arbitration as essentially his last real point of leverage. Normally, teams get to choose whether an arbitration award results in a one-year or two-year contract. But there’s a key exception: because Robertson is just one year from unrestricted free agency, any arbitration deal here would automatically be a single-season contract.

If Robertson files and this heads to arbitration, Dallas could be looking at handing him a massive one-year salary, only to watch him walk to unrestricted free agency next summer with zero return — arguably a worse outcome for the franchise than either side signing off on a long-term deal now.

There’s real risk on Robertson’s side, too.

A one-year bet means betting that his own health and production will hold up; an injury or a down year could cost him the kind of long-term security he’s been seeking all along. But given that a rich multi-year offer from Dallas doesn’t appear to be materializing, it may be the more rational play for a player coming off a career year.

All the while, the drama in Dallas is reportedly creeping into the locker room. Jeff Marek reports on his podcast that Dallas teammates are growing frustrated with the situation not being settled. It’s hard to know how much weight to place on that report. Teammates don’t tend to care much about another’s negotiations, as long as the player doesn’t drag things out into the season or make it hard for the club to build a competitive roster around them. And, given the Leo Carlsson news and the teasers that salaries are going to skyrocket, it’s hard to gauge whether Dallas has actually made him a good offer.

It should also be noted, if he files for arbitration, he’s ineligible to receive an offer sheet.

Robertson posted 45 goals and 51 assists for 96 points in 82 games this past season, numbers that could make him one of the most sought-after names on the open market if he does hit unrestricted free agency next summer. That could easily be worth $17-$18 million next year.

With the deadline just hours away, Dallas and Robertson now have to decide whether to keep negotiating or let this play out through a process that could end with the Stars losing him for nothing a year from now.

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