Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson reportedly rejected a $120 million offer from the Seattle Kraken with just days remaining to unrestricted free agency (UFA). Sportsnet’s reporter Elliotte Friedman broke the news on Thursday, June 25, that the contract from the Kraken to Robertson was for eight years.

Hockey journalist Jason Gregor took to his official X account to explain the reason behind why the 26-year-old possibly made the big decision in a sarcastic tone.

“So Robertson turned down $15m AAV from Seattle. They have no state tax. I thought that was the massive advantage…I guess going to competitive team matters more… shocking,” he wrote on X.

Gregor pointed out that Seattle is located in Washington state with no tax on earnings for sports players. Despite that, Robertson didn’t want to join them for a $15 million average annual value (AAV) due to their lack of success over the last few years.

Notably, the Kraken finished in a disappointing sixth place (34-37-11 record for 79 points) in the Pacific Division in the 2025-26 season, not close to the Stanley Cup Playoff spots. In their first five seasons in the NHL, Seattle has made the playoffs only once in their history in the 2022-23 season.

Apart from that season, they have always finished sixth or lower with more losses than wins after playing 82 regular-season games each time.

Moreover, in his first six seasons in Dallas, Robertson got the chance to play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs five times in a row in the last five seasons.

While the Stars couldn’t go past the first round of the playoffs in 2026 due to a defeat against the Minnesota Wild in six games, they made the Western Conference Finals three times in a row before that.

Despite the success with the Stars, Robertson hasn't agreed to a new contract with them, as of this writing. His previous contract, worth $31 million for four years, was a bridge deal that ran out at the end of last season.

Why the Dallas Stars Is likely not to offer a new contract to Jason Robertson

In his report published in Sportsnet,  Elliotte Friedman mentioned that the Dallas Stars had permitted the Seattle Kraken before the contract offer came into the picture. They were interested in getting the No. 7 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft from the Kraken in return for trading their star player.

Friedman also noted that the Stars actually tried to get Robertson to sign a contract themselves, but their valuation was $2 million AAV less than his expectation.

With their deal, they wanted to ensure that his salary was not far apart from the highest-paid member of their roster, forward Mikko Rantanen.

Rantanen, who is 29 years of age, is currently earning $12 million AAV on his contract, which will continue until the 2032-33 season.

Dallas points to Rantanen’s $12M as a ceiling, but Robertson’s 109 points last season topped Rantanen’s 104, making his $13M ask look more like market value than excess.

With all of that put into consideration, Robertson is likely not to receive a new contract offer from the Stars anymore. He will go into UFA if nothing is decided between him and the Stars by July 1 of this year.

Will Jason Robertson somehow stay with the Dallas Stars by signing a new contract or move elsewhere? Give us your prediction in the comments.

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Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Koushik Biswas