It was a week ago that Dallas Stars fans were notified that Jason Robertson would sign a one-year, $12 million deal. It looked ugly considering fans wanted Robertson back, but the Stars already have an issue on their hands, and that's paying Mikko Rantanen $96 million over eight years.
That's $12 million in AAV, but that was done before Robertson's value went up. Joey Erickson of the Locked On Stars podcast went on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas to say that Rantanen was the man the Stars wanted to keep, and not Robertson. It's an interesting thought. Do the Stars only want to choose one of these guys long-term? Here's what Erickson said on 105.3:
"I'm curious if Mikko Rantanen is the guy they wanted to build around because they never gave Robo that long-term extension because they could've gotten it done a couple of years ago if maybe they were picking sides to some degree and saying this is going to be kind of our guy now, and not Robo."
The Stars may only want to keep Jason Robertson or Mikko Rantanen
Erickson's reasoning makes sense here, solely because the Stars seemed hesitant to pay Robertson at first, and they didn't even give him a long-term deal, just a one-year deal with time to figure things out next year.
Now, to say the Stars would get rid of one of Robertson next season to avoid paying both guys long-term would be disappointing, to say the least. These two guys are arguably the best two on the team.
Sure, there's Wyatt Johnston, Miro Heiskanen and Roope Hintz on the roster, too. As well as your longtime captain, Jamie Benn, to hold the fort together, but the two money-makers are supposed to be your goalscorers.
You do everything you can, if you're general manager Jim Nill, to keep the pack together. If Benn retires next season, there's a good chance that one of those two could be the captain, that is, if Tyler Seguin is also on the move, as Seguin will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Robertson led the team in points with 96. If he has a repeat campaign this upcoming season and has a reason to force Nill to up the price to $15 million a year, hopefully then there's justification on all sides to give Robertson what he deserves.
The Stars will have a clear Stanley Cup window for five straight seasons now, and when you mix in the different contracts and players on UFA next summer, this is an important season for the Stars.
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