Jason Robertson’s name is back in the rumor mill, and this time the Dallas Stars winger is drawing fresh attention because of where his contract stands and what it would cost to pry him loose. The 26-year-old has 42 goals and 92 points through 79 games this season, and his current deal runs out after the 2025-26 campaign.
That production is why Robertson has remained one of the most talked-about players in the league whenever trade speculation starts. He already has 210 goals and 486 points in 453 career games, a 1.07 points-per-game pace that marks him as the kind of scorer teams do not let sit on the market for long.
The noise around him grew louder after the Stars landed Mikko Rantanen and then signed him to an eight-year extension. That move did not put Robertson on the block, but it did sharpen the question of how Dallas will manage a roster with another high-end forward already locked in long term. Robertson has been part of trade speculation for the past couple of seasons because of the uncertainty around his next deal, and that uncertainty is what has kept rival clubs watching.
Among the teams being pushed to think hard about it are the Edmonton Oilers, who are being urged this offseason to consider an offer sheet if Robertson becomes available. At the top compensation tier, an offer sheet above $11,700,193 would require four first-round picks, a steep price that would force any team to give up major draft capital. Edmonton also has just over $16.7 million in cap space for the 2026-27 season, according to PuckPedia, but it does not own its 2027 first-round pick. The club does have every first-round selection from 2028 through 2031.
That is where the tension lives. Robertson is the sort of player the Oilers would love to add, but the path to doing it would be complicated by both the compensation rules and Edmonton’s own roster needs. The Oilers are also being asked to find cap space to try to bring back Connor Ingram, Connor Murphy, Jason Dickinson and Jack Roslovic, and moving Darnell Nurse could help create the flexibility needed for a Robertson offer sheet. Nurse is entering the final season in which he has a full no-movement clause.
For Dallas, the decision is not really about whether Robertson is good enough. It is about whether a 26-year-old winger with 42 goals this season can be kept in the fold without turning the rest of the roster into a financial puzzle. For everyone else, the question is simpler: if Robertson ever does become available, who is willing to pay the price first?
