The Dallas Stars have re-signed leading scorer Jason Robertson to a one-year, $12 million contract, keeping the restricted free agent out of a salary arbitration hearing that had been scheduled for this Saturday, ESPN reported Tuesday.
ESPN characterized the move as Dallas keeping a “cornerstone” in place, and the timing matters: Robertson had filed for arbitration on July 5, one of 15 players leaguewide to do so, and the two sides had reportedly carried a considerable gap into negotiations. Agreeing on a number now takes the case off the docket before an arbitrator could set one, and it resolves the biggest piece of unfinished business on the Stars’ summer ledger.
Robertson, who turns 27 on Wednesday, is coming off a four-year, $31 million contract he signed in 2022. He led Dallas last season with 96 points, and his 45 goals tied for the team lead. That production made a bridge deal the likeliest landing spot: a one-year term keeps the winger on the roster for a contending window while pushing the larger, longer-term conversation to next summer, when Robertson will again be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights.
For the Stars, the $12 million cap hit is a significant single-season commitment, but it avoids the risk of an arbitrator’s ruling and the friction that a hearing can create between a franchise and a player it intends to build around. Dallas had been one of the last teams with a marquee arbitration case still open on the calendar, and clearing it before the weekend gives the front office cost certainty as it finishes shaping its roster.
The deal leaves the term question unanswered rather than settled. A one-year pact means Robertson and the Stars will be back at the table in 2027, but for now Dallas has its top scorer signed, its arbitration slate cleared, and one fewer distraction heading toward the season.
