The Dallas Stars might be shaking up their roster this Summer after losing in the Western Conference Finals for the third consecutive year. With important players on their team being free agents like captain Jamie Benn, Matt Duchene, Evgenii Dadonov, Cody Ceci and Mikael Granlund, the future in Dallas can be a concern.
The Stars' cap situation is tough at the moment in attempt to sign or re-sign players this free agency. Dallas has the lowest cap space at the moment of all 32 NHL teams with under $5 million. With Dallas having not much cap space to work with, a potential trade surrounding one of its superstar players could be in the works this Summer.
Rumors of the Stars trading away superstar forward Jason Robertson began on Monday with the Ottawa Senators being a potential fit for the 25-year-old. However, there might be a major risk for the Senators to take on if they want to trade for Robertson.
Despite one year remaining on current contract, Robertson can demand big money for his next contract
There's no doubt that the Stars can demand a huge return for Robertson. One Senators forward to keep an eye on if the Senators want to make a trade could be 27-year-old forward Drake Batherson. However, it's not the value the Senators might have to pay up for Robertson, it's his contract situation.
This season is Robertson's final year of his current contract with a salary of $7.75 million. Robertson will be a restricted free agent after next season. With the production Robertson has produced in Dallas since 2021, he can demand a bigger contract for his next one that can put the Senators in a tough position.
Robertson has recorded two seasons of scoring 40 goals or higher, a 109-point season and has recorded 80 points over the past two seasons. In his career, Robertson has recorded 394 points in 374 games played.
With numbers like that and being one of Dallas' most important players, Robertson can rightfully demand big money. Robertson was a major reason the Stars have been to the Conference Finals over the past three seasons.
However, Robertson's play could have him in the range of $9-10 million for his next contract. That might be too high for the Senators if they want to pay him. If Robertson was to demand money in that range, he would become the highest paid Senator on the roster.
Instead of paying Robertson high money, it can be possible the Senators would rather put that money aside and re-sign players in the future. A big example of that is both Brady Tkachuk and Thomas Chabot both being unrestricted free agents in 2028.
Robertson's name will be watched all Summer whether the Stars trade him or not. If the Senators do trade for him, it can come with a major risk for his next contract, but Robertson has proven he's a dynamic player in the NHL.