Jason Robertson signs one-year, $12 million deal with Stars

Jason Robertson signed a one-year contract with the Dallas Stars on Tuesday worth $12 million, avoiding a salary arbitration hearing that would have determined his 2026-27 salary.

The deal ends weeks of negotiations between Robertson and the Stars, who had explored trading the restricted free agent earlier this summer. According to apnews.com and dallasnews.com, Dallas had a sign-and-trade deal in place to send Robertson to Seattle for the seventh overall pick in last month's draft, but Robertson declined to sign a long-term extension with the Kraken. That deal reportedly would have paid him $15 million annually over eight years.

Robertson filed for salary arbitration before the July 5 deadline, which made him ineligible to sign an offer sheet with another team. The Stars had reportedly offered around $12 million annually during negotiations, while Robertson was seeking approximately $14 million, according to dallasnews.com.

The 26-year-old forward posted 96 points (45 goals, 51 assists) in 82 games last season, leading the Stars in scoring and tying for the team lead in goals. His 45 goals tied for fourth in the NHL, making 2025-26 the second-highest scoring season of his career. Robertson also recorded eight points in six playoff games as Dallas was eliminated in the first round by the Minnesota Wild.

"Jason has been a cornerstone of our franchise since he was drafted in 2017," Stars general manager Jim Nill said in a statement released by nhl.com.

Robertson will become an unrestricted free agent next summer and can fully test the open market after the 2026-27 season.