How July 1 ticking clock helps Senators trade for Jason Robertson originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Ottawa Senators created an opening in their lineup by trading away Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers on Sunday.
They could fill that spot with Jason Robertson, the goal-scoring dynamo from the Dallas Stars.
Robertson is coming off a season in which he scored 45 goals and dished out 51 assists. Now, he’s going to be tough for the Stars to pay what he’s worth.
“The Stars have been adamant about their desire to sign the prolific scoring winger to a long-term extension, but finding the right number hasn’t been easy,” The Athletic’s Chris Johnston wrote on Monday. “Robertson has a case to exceed teammate Mikko Rantanen’s $12 million annual salary, given the 18 percent jump in the salary cap since Rantanen signed his deal, but Dallas doesn’t have much room to maneuver with a full cap sheet. The Stars are operating against the clock, too, since Robertson has the ability to elect salary arbitration this summer and could set himself up for a reward that walks him directly to unrestricted free agency.”
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Johnston’s blurb actually started with a simple line that is most notable to the Senators:
“The closer Robertson gets to July 1 without a new contract in place, the more likely a trade becomes.”
The Stars know they might not be able to match a massive offer sheet to Robertson. They also know a team like the Senators is now positioned to give Robertson such an offer sheet.
The best Dallas might be able to do, with that fear in mind, is work a sign-and-trade.
Instead of letting the Senators swipe Robertson for nothing, Dallas could request something in return for Robertson — and Ottawa would get a bonus eighth year on Robertson’s contract, and an assurance that they wouldn’t get stuck in a free agent bidding war.
This also points out that a Senators trade for Robertson might not happen on Monday, June 22. But Monday, June 29? A timeline like that could be the key.
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