Jason Robertson's name keeps popping up in Pittsburgh conversations, and the Penguins might not just be window shopping this time.
Heading into next week, a July 25 salary arbitration hearing in Dallas could force the Stars' hand and turn quiet chatter into an actual trade.
General manager Kyle Dubas has money to spend, and sources believe Robertson could be open to landing with the Penguins.
The winger just put together a monster year. Robertson posted 45 goals and 51 assists for 96 points across 82 games, finishing at plus-22.
He carried a $7,750,000 cap hit in Dallas, hardly a bargain, but not crippling for a team that scores the way Pittsburgh does.
There's a family wrinkle here too. Reports indicate the Penguins already added his younger brother, Nick, this offseason, which only adds fuel to the speculation.
Would Sidney Crosby benefit from a winger like that? Almost certainly. Crosby put up 74 points in 68 games this year, still driving play at 38.
Why Dallas might not budge easily
Dallas GM Jim Nill hasn't engaged in what's been described as serious talks with Pittsburgh, and that gap matters more than the rumors suggest.
Robertson reportedly turned down an eight year offer worth roughly $15 million annually from Seattle. That's the number any suitor now has to consider.
Pittsburgh already knows what it's like chasing Dallas. The Penguins dropped both meetings with the Stars this season, a shootout loss on the road and a lopsided defeat at home.
Handing Robertson a monster contract while Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang edge toward retirement is a gamble, and not a small one. Pittsburgh's depth would take the hit.
Robertson is a legitimate difference maker, no argument there. But betting the next decade of cap space on one winger, when the core is already aging out, feels like buying a sports car with three years left on the lease.
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The clock in Dallas keeps ticking, and Dubas still has to decide how much of that future he's willing to spend on a name that isn't even his own player yet.
Should the Penguins go all in and trade for Jason Robertson before the July 25 deadline?
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