Jason Robertson's new contract with Stars 'works for both sides'

In the end, the business of hockey took a backseat to the passion of hockey, as Stars forward Jason Robertson signed a four-year deal a week before the start of the regular season.
Robertson, 23, was a restricted free agent who was coming off a breakout season, so there were a lot of options for what his next contract might be. But while the discussion around those options kept him out of the majority of training camp, he said Thursday that he wanted to get back to Dallas to prepare for Oct. 13 against the Nashville Predators.

"The first thing was relief," Robertson said. "You never want to stay out this long, especially with the season starting in a week."
Robertson
signed a deal that averaged $7.75 million for four years
, and that was a nice compromise for both sides. There was an option of an eight-year deal at a higher cap hit, but the Stars probably would have had to trade some current players to make that work, so getting this number is important.

"You just have to negotiate and find something that works for both sides," Stars general manager Jim Nill said. "This works for both sides."
It also works for the organization, and that's an important point. Nill obviously wanted to get all of the players in camp so that new coach Pete DeBoer and his staff would be able to put their best team on the ice. Robertson wanted to make sure he was at his best in order to help that team from the opening game.
WORTH A CLICK: [What Robertson's new contract means for Dallas this season]
"It takes time," Robertson said when asked what he learned during the negotiations. "There's a lot going into it to run a hockey team and to put players on the ice. Once it's all taken care of, it's up to us hockey players to show up and do our best. I'm just glad it was done before the season starts."
Nill said it's clear that everyone is working toward the same goal.

"We're all trying to win, and that is something you keep in mind," he said. "I have always known that Jason wanted to be here, and we just had to find a way to make that happen."
Robertson has done a great job in a year and a half of assimilating to the NHL. He had 45 points (17 goals, 28 assists) in 51 games his rookie season and then pushed that to 79 points in 74 games last season. His 41 games led the team and he became just the fourth player since the Stars moved to Texas in 1993 to score 40 or more goals in a season (Mike Modano, Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin are the others). He led the team in plus-minus at plus-16 and tied the franchise record for game-winning goals at 11. It was a remarkable season, and it was the reason he saw his salary increase so much.
"He's got outstanding hockey sense," Nill said. "He knows how to get to the right places to score goals. That's a gift, and he definitely has it."
Robertson said he worked on several things during the summer, including his one-timer. He said at the end of last season that he didn't remember any goals scored on a one-timer, so that was a big part of his preparation.

Asked specifically what he worked on, he said: "Skill stuff, battling, a lot of one-timers. I took a lot of one-timers over the summer, so I'm trying to implement that into my game. Staying strong on pucks, trying to get more speed through the neutral zone is something I really emphasize. I think I get stuck on the blue line a little too much."
Robertson will have to get used to a new style of play with DeBoer where the team is trying to move the puck fast and make quick decisions. That seems to fall into his skillset. And while the language and routes might be different, he'll still probably get to play with Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski, so that should make the transition pretty smooth.
PODCAST: [Razor, Heika give their instant reaction to Robertson staying with the Stars]
"I know everything is new there, but I think I'm a good learner and a fast learner too," he said. "So I don't think it will take me too long to get adjusted, but that's part of being a professional hockey player, to adjust."
Robertson will be on the ice for practice Friday and could play in the final preseason game Saturday. Either way, he was a week to get ready for the season opener. That was a big part of the decision.
"It's important to get reps, just to get ready," Nill said. "And he knew that."

Preseason finale: Stars at Wild

Saturday, 5 p.m. CT
Where:Xcel Energy Center (St. Paul, Minn.)
TV: Bally Sports Southwest, NHL Network
Radio:None
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.