FRISCO, Texas (AP) — The Dallas Stars had deals in place this offseason that would have sent high-scoring forward Jason Robertson and young standout defenseman Thomas Harley to other teams.
Since neither of those trades got completed, Robertson and Harley were both on the ice with the Stars for the start of training camp Thursday. But the homegrown players are in different situations.
Robertson is back on a $12 million, one-year deal that avoided salary arbitration after the Stars had a sign-and-trade deal in place with Seattle during the NHL draft in June. Robertson didn’t agree to a reported $120 million, eight-year contract ($15 million a season) with the Kraken.
“It feels like another day, as if nothing ever happened and we’re back at it,” Robertson said after the first practice. “I want to be present. ... When I’m out here, it feels like the most of where I belong, on the ice playing.”
The Stars were then set to send Harley and Mavrik Bourque to Columbus for Norris Trophy winner Zach Werenski, but the star defenseman exercised his no-trade clause to remain with the Blue Jackets. Bourque was instead traded to Nashville at the start of free agency.
“I’ve always known that this is a business, but for the first time it really affected me that way, so it was a stressful week for sure,” said Harley, who later spoke with general manager Jim Nill and coach Glen Gulutzan. “We’re all on the same page, I want to be here, they want me here, so it’s all good. ... No hard feelings.”
This is the first season of an $84.69 million, eight-year contract extension that the 25-year-old Harley agreed to last November. He was the 18th overall pick by the Stars in the 2019 draft.
“I’ve already talked to him and then we move on,” said Nill, who added that Harley is a big part of the team.
That was the same for Nill with the 27-year-old Robertson, who the Stars drafted 39th overall in the second round of the 2017 draft.
Robertson has averaged more than a point a game in his six full NHL seasons with 490 points (213 goals and 277 assists) in 456 regular-season games, including all 328 games the past four years.
He was their leading scorer with 96 points (45 goals and 51 assists) last season, and had five goals with three assists in six playoff games. He became a restricted free agent after his third 40-goal season wrapped up the $31 million, four-year deal that he signed after being a holdout in training camp in 2022.
Without a contract extension from the Stars, which under NHL rules now couldn’t come before Jan. 1, Robertson next summer could become an unrestricted free agent for the first time.
For now, the focus is on the ice with the Stars coming off their longest offseason in four years. They were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs last season after making the Western Conference Final each of the previous three years.
“Just playing, that’s when I’m most comfortable not thinking about it,” Robertson said about the contract situation. “I had to deal with it last year, kind of dealt with it four years ago.”
His $12 million salary for 2026-27 matches forward Mikko Rantanen for the highest on the Stars. Rantanen is going into the second season of the $96 million, eight-year extension he signed to facilitate the deadline trade that brought him to Dallas from Carolina in March 2025.
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Stephen Hawkins, The Associated Press
