The Pittsburgh Penguins are not giving up hope of signing superstar winger Jason Robertson this summer. Pittsburgh has been linked with the Dallas Stars forward for months now. In fact, it was reported in January that Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas “absolutely loves” Robertson. At the time, Pittsburgh was expected to pursue the American superstar this summer heavily.
So far, this has proven to be correct. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman recently reported that Dubas and his Dallas counterpart discussed a trade involving Robertson on the weekend of June 28th. While a deal has not yet materialized, it is not seemingly dead just yet. The Athletic’s Josh Yohe is now claiming that there is “a growing belief” within the Penguins organization that Robertson is willing to play in Pittsburgh.
According to Yohe, the Penguins and Dubas are still “very much open” to landing the superstar this summer. This is despite the fact that Robertson recently filed for arbitration in Dallas. The move could allow the winger to sign a one-year extension with the Stars and eventually become an unrestricted free agent in 2027. Friedman, however, believes that Dallas may not want to go this route.
While Friedman remains adamant that Robertson’s first choice is to remain with the Stars, the two sides are at a standoff. According to the insider, Dallas may be willing to offer the superstar as high as $12.5 million AAV. Nevertheless, Robertson is holding out for $14 million AAV, a figure that the Pittsburgh Penguins would likely offer.
Pittsburgh Penguins Can Afford to Appease Jason Robertson’s Contract Demands
GettyStars forward Jason Robertson would be the ideal Pittsburgh Penguins summer signing.
As Yohe points out, Jason Robertson’s potential openness to join the Pittsburgh Penguins was given a boost in recent days. Dubas recently acquired Jason’s brother Nick from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a fourth-round draft pick. The move solidifies Pittsburgh’s bottom-six forward group and does not hurt the team’s pursuit of Jason. The Florida Panthers also recently reunited brothers Brady and Matthew Tkachuk.
According to PuckPedia.com, the Penguins have nearly $17 million in projected cap space. They also have a fairly full NHL roster at the moment. Pittsburgh is also open to offloading fellow forwards Rickard Rakell and/or Bryan Rust. Both of these veterans earn around $5 million AAV. Because of this, Dubas and the Penguins have the financial freedom to give Jason Robertson what he wants.
Friedman recently revealed that the Seattle Kraken offered Dallas three first-round draft picks and a young player for Robertson. The Penguins have the draft capital and solid prospect pool to potentially make a similar offer.
Pittsburgh Desperately Looking for Next Superstar
The Pittsburgh Penguins clearly want a superstar in their mid-20’s to eventually take over for future Hall of Famers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Jason Robertson is seen as the best-case scenario for Dubas and Pittsburgh. The star forward racked up 96 points in 82 regular-season games during the 2025-26 campaign.
He has also proven to be extremely reliable during his NHL career. In fact, Robertson has not missed a game since the 2021-22 campaign. Interestingly enough, the superstar also previously revealed that his favorite player growing up was Penguins legend Jaromir Jagr. Pittsburgh will likely continue pursuing the Stars forward until the very end.
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