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FRISCO - Less than 24 hours after Jason Robertson and the Dallas Stars agreed to a one-year, $12 million contract, the messaging from both sides about their ability to reach an agreement before arbitration was similar.
Both GM Jim Nill and Robertson said they were relieved to get the deal done four days before heading to Toronto to sit in a room of attorneys calling out why the forward deserved more - or less - money.
"It's a tough process," Nill said, speaking Wednesday in Frisco. "We're very happy to have him signed."
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"I think it was in our best interest to try to avoid that and do something we'd both be content and happy with," Robertson said, speaking hours later over Zoom from Michigan.
For now, the deal is one both sides are content with. But it's also widely understood that it's a Band-Aid, or a temporary fix, to a problem the parties haven't been able to resolve in over a year of negotiations through two different agents.
The one-year deal guarantees Robertson will spend the 2026-27 season on the Stars roster, barring a trade, and allows the team to be cap-compliant entering training camp.
But it also means that Robertson will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Starting Jan. 1, the parties can agree to a new contract extension up to seven years maximum. The Stars could also try to trade the forward ahead of the March deadline. If Robertson makes it to July 1 without signing a long-term deal, he could test the free agency market and sign anywhere - a luxury he didn't have as a restricted free agent this summer.
Nill believes he and Robertson's representation both would've preferred reaching a long-term extension this summer.
"We went through negotiations, looked at all different scenarios, long-term, short-term, and in the end, this was probably the best fit for this timing of his contract status in the league and timing for our team," he said.
For the Stars, it allows them to free up some cap space for a long-term Robertson deal. Next summer, the NHL's salary cap will go up $9.5 million, and Tyler Seguin's deal worth $9.85 million annually will come off the books.
For Robertson, it allows him to sign a maximum contract with a no-move clause, which he will only be eligible for once he achieves UFA status.
Nill said he and Robertson's camp have already begun discussing what a long-term extension could look like. They plan to continue those talks as Jan. 1 approaches.
"During negotiations, it was very clear through Jason's representatives that he wanted to be a Dallas Star," Nill said. "We hope someday that maybe he retires here."
Robertson, however, wasn't as certain in his comments. While he said he was glad to avoid arbitration and be a part of the team entering training camp, he was asked directly whether he thinks he will be a Star for a long time.
"I'm just happy to start the season in Dallas right now," he said. "The biggest thing was just getting it done this week, push it down and just keep re-evaluating and taking our time and everything. I'm sure they're going to do the same thing.
"I don't know their future plans. They don't know our future plans either. It's too soon."
Robertson said he's happy to be able to look forward to training camp, which begins mid-September. He's trying not to look backward toward a chaotic summer where his name was constantly in the headlines, especially after the Stars tried to trade him to the Seattle Kraken.
Robertson declined to speak on the proposed trade, again emphasizing he only wants to look forward.
That may not be a bad thing. It's probably a better use of his and Nill's time to look to the future, beginning Oct. 2 on the ice and Jan. 1 at the negotiating table. There's still plenty to be resolved ahead of them.
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