Stars’ 2 signings set up surprise Jason Robertson ending originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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For most of the early portion of the NHL offseason, it was assumed the Dallas Stars would have no choice but to let Jason Robertson sign an offer sheet with another team and potentially execute a sign-and-trade.
The salary cap was not on Dallas’ side in this situation at all.
Now, though, there appears to be a path to keeping Robertson.
He’s a restricted free agent, and the assumption is that he deserves about $12 million per year.
At the start of the offseason, the Stars had even less than that available, so it was hard to see how they could construct a full roster and make it all work with Robertson, too.
But on Wednesday, the Stars signed two players who could allow them to make a couple of trades to cut money, and that could clear the space they need:
Joel Kiviranta is a cheaper Sam Steel.
Arttu Hyry is a cheaper (and better) Radek Faksa.This roster, without Jason Robertson, sits at $11,464,667 of cap space.
Theoretically, shipping away one of Steel/Faksa could create enough room for him. pic.twitter.com/OJTqLGwuaa
— Juraj Kralik (JK) (@JuroKral) July 2, 2026
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The scenario above would make things tricky for Dallas, which would be right up against the cap line if it makes these moves and then signs Robertson.
But in this case, having Robertson seems like the major key. He’s coming off a season with 45 goals and 51 assists. That’s not a guy you want to give up.
So with that in mind, it seems the Stars are still trying to figure this out. Given Robertson’s talent, someone is going to make a move soon. Dallas is positioning itself to hang onto him.
