It's been no secret that the New York Rangers have been searching for a star to help them get back into Stanley Cup contention. Their plans to do that this offseason hit multiple snags. Impending free agents such as Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, and Kirill Kaprizov all signed contract extensions before the start of this past season. Then, the Rangers targeted Brady Tkachuk and Dylan Larkin on the trade block this offseason, but were told they were not on either's trade wishlist.
The Rangers did do a decent job of getting some help this offseason, especially bringing in Pavel Dorofeyev in a sign-and-trade with the Vegas Golden Knights. With their cap space increasing by the year, it does open the door for them to make a big signing.
One player who could hit the open market as soon as next summer is Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson. He is currently a restricted free agent, hasn't come to terms on a new deal with the Stars, and even rejected a sign-and-trade with Seattle Kraken, where he would have earned $15 million per year on an eight-year contract extension. Now, set for arbitration, Robertson could be in line to sign a one-year deal, allowing him to hit unrestricted free agency next summer. But that could change if one rival is able to pull off a move this offseason.
The Athletic's Josh Yohe reports that the Pittsburgh Penguins are "very much open to acquiring Robertson," as they believe there is a chance that he would accept a trade to them.
Potential Rangers target Jason Robertson heavily linked to rival Penguins
"If the Stars come calling, [Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas] won’t hesitate to make a substantial offer for a player he’s long coveted," writes Yohe. "And if Dubas gets to make that offer, there is a growing belief in the Penguins organization that Robertson would be happy to come to Pittsburgh."
This would be the absolute nightmare scenario for the Rangers. The Penguins are nearing the end of the Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang era. Malkin re-signed on a one-year contract to avoid free agency. Letang's play has taken a hit, especially this season. And Crosby, well, he's still one of the best in the game even as he nears 40-years-old.
Adding Robertson, potentially long-term? That would be bad news for the Rangers. He'd fit the role of a top six forward that can score goals with ease. Even with the addition of Dorofeyev on a seven-year contract, they could still use some more scoring help in the top six. Robertson would help them get even better, and potentially contend for a Stanley Cup for the foreseeable future.
But the Penguins could ensure that Robertson never hits the open market. While the Stars would be hard-pressed to trade one of their best players in Robertson, they simply don't have the adequate cap space to fit a new, lucrative contract. Hence why both sides never reached an agreement on a deal. For the Penguins, they have a ton of draft capital at their disposal to make a trade for a legitimate difference-maker like Robertson. Over the next four year, the Penguins have four first-round picks, eight second-round picks, and five third-round picks. That's a lot of capital they can choose from to make an enticing offer to the Stars for Robertson.
Robertson is set to have an arbitration hearing on July 25, so the clock is ticking for the Stars to reach a solution. The Rangers already avoided an arbitration hearing with Braden Schneider, who signed a one-year, $5.5 million deal for this upcoming season. Perhaps the Stars and Robertson reach an agreement on a deal, or potentially a trade to another team.
For Rangers fans, they better hope it's not the latter, especially if it's to Pittsburgh.
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