Expectations for 2026-27: Robertson was pushed last season, and he pushed back well. He not only improved the weak spots in his game by being better defensively and showing more compete and toughness (both physical and mental), he improved the already sturdy parts of his game by taking more shots, pushing his creativity and stepping up when the pressure was highest. That was a big reason for the drama of his recent contract negotiation this summer, because he truly did gain confidence in where he fits both on the team and in the league hierarchy. This is a volatile time for money in the NHL with the salary cap rising sharply each summer, and Robertson is right in the middle of the tornado. With salaries going up, Robertson can ask for a lot on his next deal. But even with Tyler Seguin’s contract ($9.85M AAV) coming off the books and the NHL salary cap expected to see another spike next year, Dallas still has to find the right number for their leading scorer. That said, the negotiation process seemed to show that Robertson really does want to stay with the Stars. He could have accepted a trade to another team and signed a big deal. He could have gone to arbitration and seen if a neutral figure would give him even more than $12 million for next season, essentially pushing him out of the Stars’ price range in the process. Instead, he signed for a number the Stars can afford and opened the door to continue negotiating a long-term deal that can be signed as early as Jan. 1. That seems to be a positive thing. Mix in the fact that the situation provides even more motivation to perform well and you could set the table for a big season from Robertson. One of the things he said after signing the one-year deal was that he gained confidence from last year. The second-round draft pick from 2017 established a career-best in 2022-23 with 46 goals among 109 points and said he was disappointed when his points went down to 80 in each of the next two seasons. Robertson said he was invigorated that he could get himself back near 100 and that he believes he can start doing that on a regular basis. He has always had an athletic arrogance and has been described as a “rink rat” by his peers, but now it seems Robertson has knowledge on how to achieve the things he knows he can do on a yearly basis.
