As the peak portion of the offseason inches closer, much of the Dallas Stars’ plans to improve their roster likely hinge on how much salary cap space they will end up devoting to star winger Jason Robertson, who is a pending RFA. As a result, one might be under the impression that Dallas is under some pressure to get a Robertson deal done as quickly as possible, so they can enter free agency and peak trading season with a level of cost certainty. That impression is misguided, though, according to Stars GM Jim Nill.
In a radio appearance on “Baldy and Bruce” on 96.7 The Ticket in Dallas, Nill characterized the ongoing negotiations with Robertson’s representation, which is led by Andy Scott of Octagon, as “good,” also saying that the team and player have “no real deadline” on when to finalize a deal, and won’t rush into things. Nill also called Robertson “a priority” for the team to re-sign and expressed optimism that a deal both sides can be happy with would eventually get done – but it may take some time. Robertson, 26, scored 45 goals and 96 points last season and is positioned to receive a substantial raise from the $7.75MM cap hit on his current contract.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- The New Mexico Goatheads, a new expansion team set to join the ECHL, announced the hire of former NHL winger Zack Stortini as their first head coach in franchise history. Stortini was a highly physical grinder during his playing days who got into over 250 career NHL games, almost exclusively with the Edmonton Oilers. He’s also a former AHL captain, racking up over 600 games played and 1,825 penalty minutes across a 13-season AHL career. Stortini’s coaching career began in 2019-20 as an assistant for the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves, and he has spent the last four years as an assistant coach for the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. The teams Stortini helped coach went 57-65-9 in the OHL and 141-116-31 in the AHL. He’ll now get his first chance to be a head coach for the Colorado Avalanche’s ECHL affiliate.
- Former Buffalo Sabres winger Brett Murray has signed a one-year contract with the KHL’s Shanghai Dragons, officially confirming his departure from the DEL and the Nürnberg Ice Tigers. A depth winger in the Sabres organization for a half-decade, Murray departed North American professional ranks to sign in the German top division last summer. His season in Germany went well, as he scored 17 goals and 33 points in 36 games. In North America, the 6’5″ winger developed into a quality AHL scorer, potting 27 goals and 49 points in his most recent campaign for the Rochester Americans, coming in 2024-25. Murray has played in a total of 26 NHL games, scoring six points.
