Making some sense out of the Jason Robertson contract dilemma

One of the unexpected benefits of watching the playoffs after your team has been eliminated is the fresh perspective you gain.

With the emotion taken out of the equation, your brain can slow down and clear itself. Now when you’re looking at Colorado or Carolina – or, heck, even Minnesota – the vision seems clear.

That can help when you’re thinking about things like the Jason Robertson contract situation.

Colorado had a similar dilemma last year and dealt with it in an interesting manner. The Avalanche and Mikko Rantanen appeared to have some communication breakdowns in trying to work a long-term contract extension, and that became magnified by the fact Rantanen could become an unrestricted free agent.

The two sides talked, they didn’t get a deal done, and Colorado traded Rantanen to Carolina. Because the big Finn had no protection against a trade, they didn’t even need to ask his permission, and that started a hectic stretch for Rantanen. The Hurricanes wanted to sign Rantanen to an extension, but those talks didn’t go far, so then they were on the clock to make a trade or watch Rantanen walk in free agency last summer.

They swapped him to Dallas, who did the research and work to get Rantanen’s extension done, and it worked out for everyone.

Rantanen got on board for eight years at an average salary of $12 million, then helped the Stars to the Western Conference Final last season. He now is a huge part of what Dallas wants to do moving forward.

Martin Necas, who went to Colorado in the original trade, signed an eight-year extension that averages $11.5 million. He had a career-best 100 points this season and is helping the Avalanche pursue a championship. Logan Stankoven, who went to Carolina from Dallas, signed an eight-year deal that averages $6 million per season. He had 44 points (21 goals, 23 assist) in 81 games during the regular season, but has 8 points (7 goals, 1 assist) in 8 playoff games so far. He’s just 23, so that adds to his value in this deal.

Bottom line, all three teams seemed to find a way to make things work, and all three players seem to be in a good place…and that’s the driving thought I have as I watch these games.

Jason Robertson might find the sweet spot and sign an eight-year deal with the Stars, but it’s OK if he doesn’t. Rantanen has told his version of the trade from Colorado, and he has said on the record he would have liked to stay. His friends were there, the team is good, they just had to figure out the right number.

For whatever reason, they couldn’t.

Colorado decided it didn’t want to wait around, and so it pulled the trigger. It had a number in its head, and Rantanen couldn’t agree to that, so the Avalanche moved on. Is there a lesson – or maybe just some history – there that the Stars might use? Have they already come up with a number? The salary cap would seem to indicate they can’t go much higher than $12 million. Even if they do that, they would likely have to find a way to trade a player who makes $2 or $3 million. They might have to trade several.

So would it be worth it to trade Robertson for something good and build the team that way? Colorado did it and got Necas and some other stuff in a three-way deal with Chicago involved. Carolina did it and got Stankoven, two first-round picks and two third-round picks.

So should they draw a line in the sand and tell the Robertson camp: “This is it.” The guess is Jim Nill has done something close to that, and it seems clear the lines of communication are wide open here and each side knows exactly what’s going on. Bottom line, there is a chance Dallas can trade Robertson’s rights and get some good value in return.

On the flip side, Robertson knows he has options. If he doesn’t sign with the Stars, he can certainly steer any trade by being open to an extension. If he simply wants to wait out next season and become a UFA, that would greatly affect the return Dallas might get, so that’s also part of the negotiations. But from a player standpoint, Robertson has the chance to land on a good team while making a lot of money no matter what he decides.

When you watch Colorado and Carolina play, you see the new guys fitting in seamlessly and you realize the business of hockey can still be amicable.

In Minnesota, the Wild made a decision to give Kirill Kaprizov an eight-year extension that averages $17 million. That could be seen as a mistake, but it seems to be working for Bill Guerin. The Wild have been able to work around their salary cap, and the upper level will continue to rise, so they got what they wanted and seem like a confident organization because of that right now.

Of course it’s easy to say from the couch, but there are different ways to make this Robertson stuff work for all parties concerned. Panic is definitely an option, but so is patience.

We’ll see where all of this goes, but the guess is we’re all still friends in a year or so.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on X @MikeHeika.