Done deal: What Robertson signing means for Stars

The Stars suffered a disappointing preseason loss in Denver Wednesday night.
They also signed restricted free agent Jason Robertson to a contract extension.
It seems the good outweighed the bad.

Robertson inked a deal for four years at an average salary cap hit of $7.75 million. That allows the Stars to manage this year's cap and not have to make any drastic changes. In addition, it gets Robertson into camp with a weeks to go before the season opener Oct. 13.
That's important, because the team is trying to come together under a new coaching staff while playing a new system, and the uncertainty of whether the team's leading goal scorer would be there or not created all sorts of hurdles. Now, the coaching staff can go full steam ahead with trying to align lines, and trying to make cuts to get down to what will likely be a 22-man roster.

Robertson is expected to play the left wing on a top line with Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski. That trio finished first, second and third in scoring for the Stars last season, and we're often the sole group of producers in certain games. Stars coach Pete DeBoer has been shuffling his lines in preseason, but on Monday decided to play Pavelski with Hintz.
"I'd be crazy not to after what they did last year," DeBoer said when asked if he liked pairing Hintz with Pavelski. "That's not a small sample size, that was a season of high production for both guys. I do like Roope with Joe, and I think Joe likes playing with Roope. You can't ignore that body of work."
Robertson was a big part of it. The 23-year-pld winger found a way to use his hockey smarts and his lanky frame (6-foot-3, 200 pounds) to get into great scoring areas. He then used a deceptive touch to put the puck in the net.
He became just the fourth player to score 40 or more goals in a season for the "Dallas" Stars. Since moving to Texas from Minnesota in 1993, Mike Modano had 50 goals (1993-94), Jamie Benn had 41 (2015-16), Tyler Seguin had 40 (2017-18) and Robertson had 41 (2021-22).
That was huge on a team that finished 21st in goal scoring in the NHL

"Jason is an integral part of the present and future of our team and we're thrilled to have him for the next four years," Stars GM Jim Nill said. "Since he was drafted by our organization, he has worked tirelessly to become a better player every day. His knack for scoring goals and seeing plays develop on the ice are just some of the tremendous assets that he brings to our team.
"He is one of the best young players in the NHL, and we look forward to seeing him continue to progress."
Getting the top line together means the coaching staff can now focus on the forward depth. Robertson's return could mean that the Stars have to go with two fewer forwards than what might have been here had Robertson not signed. That meant the competition was intense in a 2-1 loss.
Riley Damiani had a goal and three shots on goal in 12:52 of ice time. Logan Stankoven got 15:43 in time on ice. DeBoer has said several times during preseason that players will be given the chance to make decisions for the coaches, and several forwards are in the mix to stick on the NHL roster.
Two players who might make the decision on backup goaltender a little easier were Scott Wedgewood and Anton Khudobin. Wedgewood stopped 18 of 18 shots on goal in two periods and looked calm in doing so. Khudobin, who is recovering from hip surgery allowed two late goals to take the loss. Khudobin was down on the ice and swimming in crowds, and that left the net open.

That could lead to him being assigned to the Texas Stars, where he will have an opportunity to recover from his surgery and possibly put himself in the radar for any NHL team that might need a goalie.
All of that said, the focus was on Robertson. He has 125 points (58 goals, 67 assists) in 128 games in his career. Last season, he was tied for the NHL lead and also tied a franchise record with 11 game-winning goals on the season.
Robertson's deal allows the Stars to stay cap compliant, and also creates an opportunity for the player to get a big raise. When the four-year contract expires, contracts for Jamie Benn, Joe Pavelski, Esa Lindell and Ryan Suter will have expired. That could help Robertson hit a much bigger number in a much longer deal.
To do that, he will have to continue to produce at a high level.
"I put expectations on myself," he said after last season. "I think what people want is consistency. If I work hard and play the way I play, it will work out. It always has throughout my career."
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.