Avoiding Arbitration

Well a week later with all the dust settling about Dallas and Robertson avoiding arbitration, we’ve got about as many details on the short term contract as possible. Dallas had previously agreed to a trade with another team before arbitration, was this a backup plan or a move to corner their final asking price? Was this a risky move on Robo’s end to sign such a short deal or was this the only way to keep both parties happy? After listening to several interviews it’s clear Jim, the GM for the Stars, has no regrets to trade deals made in off season- showing his faith in Robo’s performance and dedication to the team. With Robo’s entire professional career with the Stars, it appears he has interest in being a franchise player with a Cup win within reach.

Now this puts a pin in things until January, not to say discussions won’t happen behind closed doors until then; when the new salary cap hits, extension will almost certainly follow. Will he still be asking for the 14 mil range or will he push for a record breaking season and go after 16? Coming up with numbers it’s not baffling to see what he’s asking given his skill set, but if you’re wondering why he’s looking to be the highest paid player on the roster this comes down to percentage of cap space. With rising cap ceilings it’s evaluating player value to the percentage of the cap rather than a raw dollar amount. Once January rolls around we will have a short 6 months to see Robo locked down into a contract, as he becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 26-27 season. Or do we see a worst scenario and a bundled jackpot trade right before the deadline March 1st- deadlines make deals.

So we know Dallas offered Robo 12 mil for 8 years, but it’s clear he’s looking for more next negotiation. What’s missing from his game to earn him the max player percentage in the cap? The same lanes he finds so effortlessly in the offensive zone need to be found in the defensive zone as well; it’s clear he’s no goon on the ice but he certainly could find more grit. If he can clear another 100 point season does this guarantee his asking numbers? It can’t be overlooked his 40 game winning goals through his career and 372 consecutive games played through regular season- “the best ability is availability” with a team that unfortunately struggles to keep a fully healthy roster.

So what are we looking at with Robo’s new contract? Regardless of where he’s signed it will be maxed out at 7 years with the NHL’s new agreement. We know he’s looking for more than 12 mil even taking a shorter contract, as the NHL doesn’t renegotiate contracts because they’re guaranteed. Does he get a little wiggle room with his next asking price because now it looks like he did a favor for Dallas with the short carryover contract? If Dallas would’ve had to move him post arbitration it would’ve cost significantly more with other teams knowing the pressure to keep under cap for opening night. Speaking of- I hope Dallas puts him on the second line so the team can hear the crowd’s warm welcome separate from opening night hype. There’s been plenty of speculation as to whether coming so close to arbitration hearing caused any friction in the locker room not just with coaches but also fellow players. Not forgetting the months where fans felt the limbo with rumors about several different trades- we’re ready to cheer a little extra louder for his first goal of the season.