New Jersey Devils lose their most valuable trade option after he went off the market

After months of rumors, the biggest trade piece actually available on the market is no longer available. The Dallas Stars announced on Tuesday night that Jason Robertson signed a one-year deal worth $12 million. The two sides avoided arbitration, which was going to take place on Saturday. Robertson’s deal surprised many, but it clearly takes him off the trade market.

Robertson has admitted that he grew up a Devils fan, and that’s why fans thought he could be coming to New Jersey. He always wanted to make it work with Dallas.

He even fired Pat Brisson, who represents much of the NHL, including the Hughes brothers, to make the deal work ahead of arbitration. It’s just a one-year deal, which means Robertson is walking all the way to unrestricted free agency unless the Stars can extend him before next July.

Because this is a new contract, Robertson and the Stars, or possibly another team, can’t renegotiate a deal until January at the earliest. 

Even if Jason Robertson was a long shot, the Devils have to pivot

Robertson was the perfect trade candidate for Sunny Mehta and the Devils. New Jersey has a huge hole in their top six. Right now, Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Timo Meier feel like locks. Outside of that, some combination of Anthony Mantha, Connor Brown, Dawson Mercer, Arseny Gritsyuk, and Evan Rodrigues will round out the top six. 

The Devils still need one more piece. Not only do they need someone better in the top six, but they just have too many forwards. 

There are certain line combinations where Dawson Mercer is a fourth liner. Others have no room for Nick Bjugstad, which seems like a waste of a decent center. Stefan Noesen appears to be the odd man out with no place to fit him in this lineup. 

And this is without some surprises in training camp, like Xavier Parent earning an everyday role or Amadeus Lombardi living up to Mehta’s expectations right away. There’s also the possibility of PTOs. The Devils will want to be flexible going into the season. 

Robertson would have been great, but it’s time to move on to the next possible addition. Dylan Larkin is the last premium option available, but they could go after Elias Pettersson if they thought they could fit Robertson’s salary on the books. Heck, maybe Mehta circles back on Steven Stamkos to play an Alexander Ovechkin role. 

The Devils are in decent shape, but they need at least one more move if they are going to compete with the reigning champion Carolina Hurricanes. Robertson would have been a great move, but moving on shouldn’t be too hard.

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This article was originally published on pucksandpitchforks.com as New Jersey Devils lose their most valuable trade option after he went off the market.