In a big development on Thursday, June 25, Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson reportedly turned down an eight-year, $120 million contract offer from the Seattle Kraken. The 26-year-old got criticized by the NHL fans after Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman broke the news on social media with an exclusive report.

B/R Open Ice on X shared details about the Robertson-Kraken contract offer with a post, while crediting NHL insider and journalist Friedman for it.

“Jason Robertson has rejected an 8-year, $15mil AAV contract offer from the Seattle Kraken, per @FriedgeHNIC. The Stars granted Robertson permission to speak with Seattle,” read their X post.

As per the aforementioned journalist, the Kraken offered Robertson a whopping $15 million average annual value (AAV) after the team received permission from the Dallas Stars to talk to him. But still, the Arcadia, California, native decided to reject it, and he is apparently set to become a restricted free agent on July 1 of this year.

In his report published in Sportsnet, Friedman stated that Dallas had put together a trade for Robertson with Seattle before the contract offer came into the picture. They were looking to receive the No. 7 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft from the Kraken in exchange for trading their star player.

Friedman also revealed that the Stars have been trying to get Robertson to sign on the dotted line themselves, but the valuation is $2 million AAV below his expectation. They wanted to bring his salary closer to that of their highest-paid player, forward Mikko Rantanen.

The 29-year-old is earning $12 million AAV a year on his current contract till 2032-33.

Moreover, Robertson had his latest bridge contract worth $31 million for four years with the Stars running out at the end of last season.

As he still looks to finalize a team, fans poured in their reactions.

NHL fans react to Jason Robertson turning down the Seattle Kraken

When the news of Robertson turning down a big-money deal from the Kraken broke through, the NHL fans reacted strongly to his decision on B/R Open Ice's post. Several fans wondered if the 26-year-old was aware of the consequences of turning down the Kraken's contract offer.

“What in the world is he looking for,” a NHL fan asked if Robertson himself knows the kind of money he wants.

A couple of sports enthusiasts called him out for thinking his “worth” was more than what Seattle wanted to give to him.

“He declined $15mil for 8 years? How much does he think he's worth?,” said one of them to that effect while mentioning the contract offered to Robertson.

Accepting the offer, he would have become one of the highest-paid players in the NHL. “I'm sorry WHAT! How much does he think he's worth???” read another comment.

Since Seattle is a part of Washington state with no tax currently for sports players, an NHL fan wondered why Robertson didn’t accept the contract offer from the Kraken.

“$15M a year in a no-tax state like Seattle… and Robertson still turned it down. Who still wants him on their team?,” they wrote.

Is Jason Robertson right in his decision not to sign with the Seattle Kraken despite a massive payday on the table? Give us your opinion on this situation in the comments.

Read more at NHL Fan Central.

Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar