Stars $9M D-man ‘prime trade candidate’ to accommodate Jason Robertson’s massive $12M AAV extension originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Dallas Stars entered the offseason with a clear aim: to maintain their strong team while ensuring they have enough financial flexibility to remain competitive in the future. They want to keep their top players together, just like they have in previous seasons.
That balance is now becoming harder to maintain.
Dallas has many important contract choices to make for their players, and now many people are starting to focus on what will happen with Jason Robertson. He is a key player and nearing the end of his current contract. There is more and more chatter surrounding what his next contract will look like as the season goes on.
Robertson has developed into one of the franchise’s most important offensive pieces over the last few years. Reports around the NHL have started projecting a possible extension carrying an average annual value close to $12 million.
For a Stars team already working through salary cap pressure, that number has naturally created more discussion around how the front office may reshape parts of the roster before negotiations fully accelerate.
Dallas general manager Jim Nill recently made it clear that keeping Robertson remains one of the organization’s biggest priorities moving forward. At the same time, league observers continue to watch the Stars closely because of the difficult financial decisions that could accompany a massive extension.
That growing pressure has also increased speculation surrounding several veteran contracts on the roster.
Among the names now appearing in trade discussions is veteran defenseman Tyler Myers, who is currently playing on a three-year contract worth $9 million that carries an AAV of $3 million.
According to recent trade reports, Myers has emerged as a “prime trade candidate” as the organization prepares for Robertson’s expected payday. NHL Trade Rumors’ Rob Ellis wrote, “Something has to give, and all signs point to the blue line. This is exactly where the Dallas Stars and Tyler Myers find themselves at a crossroads.”
The discussion about Myers has picked up steam, especially after he was left out of the lineup during Dallas’ playoff series against the Minnesota Wild earlier this postseason. Although no trade seems imminent, this situation has fueled more rumors about the veteran defenseman as we head into the offseason.
Meanwhile, outside rumors involving Robertson himself have continued circulating in recent weeks. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman pushed back against some of that speculation, saying there is “no reason to believe” the winger wants out of Dallas.
For now, the Stars remain focused on keeping their core intact. But with Robertson’s projected extension expected to reshape the team’s salary structure, league attention around Dallas’ veteran contracts is unlikely to slow anytime soon.
More NHL News
-
2026 NHL mock draft: Maple Leafs, Sharks win big in draft lottery
-
5 items Maple Leafs GM John Chayka must address this summer
-
3 winners and losers of the 2026 NHL draft lottery
-
Following a slew of bad news, the NHL draft lottery win is a shift in momentum for the Maple Leafs
-
3 NHL trade fits for Dallas Stars' Jason Robertson
