The New York Rangers have had to deal with Sidney Crosby for over two decades, where he led the Penguins to four Stanley Cup Finals and three Stanley Cup titles during that time. The Rangers have gotten the better of the Crosby Penguins over the years, such as eliminating them from the playoffs three times in their five meetings since Crosby entered the league in 2006. But, we are now at the point where Crosby is much closer to the end of his playing career than ever, with the star seemingly near year-by-year basis territory.
For Rangers fans, while they can respect his game, will undoubtedly celebrate when the Rangers don't have to deal with him anymore. But, it seems like the Penguins are looking to bring a young superstar, who could take over as the face of the franchise once Crosby retires.
That player is Jason Robertson.
Jason Robertson reportedly has 'tremendous interest' in joining Penguins
Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos unveiled his first trade board of the upcoming season, discussing which players could be on the move. Robertson, the current winger for the Dallas Stars, is set to be an unrestricted free agent next summer, and the Stars could opt to trade him beforehand. Kypreos mentioned the Pittsburgh Penguins as an interested team, and said that Robertson is equally interested.
"Word is the Penguins’ acquisition of his younger brother Nick was done for a number of reasons, including the chance it will help lure Jason to town either in a trade or through free agency. Pittsburgh is one market Jason has tremendous interest in," writes Kypreos.
It's not exactly news that the Penguins are interested in bringing Robertson. Ever since his contract saga with the Stars, reports have mentioned that the Penguins are getting ready to pursue him. Things only got more interesting when, as Kypreos mentioned, the Penguins acquired his Jason's younger brother, Nick Robertson, in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs. It felt as though the Penguins were getting ready to make their offer for Jason, whenever he is set to hit the open market.
This offseason, the Stars were looking for a way to free up cap space to potentially fit in a contract extension with Robertson. That included trading away fellow restricted free agent Mavrick Borque to the Nashville Predators. Yet, the two sides could not reach an agreement. That then led to the Stars negotiating trade packages with the Seattle Kraken and St. Louis Blues, but were rejected by Robertson. Ultimately, the Stars and the winger agreed to terms on a one-year, $12 million contract, which allows him to hit unrestricted free agency next summer.
Jason Robertson joining the Penguins would be a nightmare for the Rangers
The Rangers are in the midst of their retool, opting against undergoing a full on rebuild. The hope is that the moves they made will help them contend in what is a pretty weak Metropolitan Division. It's essentially the Carolina Hurricanes, then everyone else.
The Penguins shocked everyone last season when they made it into the playoffs after finishing in second place in the Metropolitan Division. Yet, they were eliminated in the first round by the Philadelphia Flyers. If that series showed anything, it's that the era of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang is nearing its end. From there, it will be interesting to see how general manager Kyle Dubas builds out his roster.
It appears his main item on the checklist is to bring in Robertson. They have more than enough draft capital if they need to trade for Robertson. That, and they'll have around $60 million in cap space, which is more than enough to fit Robertson's likely lucrative contract.
The Rangers are going to be searching for a top forward to bring in in the coming offseasons. Obviously, the Rangers are dreaming of Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews becoming available and wanting to join them. But Robertson would be a good adition for them as well. Robertson has four consecutive seasons of posting at least 80 points, including a 109 point 2022-23 season. Last season, Robertson scored 45 goals and recorded 51 assists in 82 games. In fact, Robertson never missed a game in the previous four regular season games.
But hearing that Robertson has interest in the Penguins is going to keep fans up at night.
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