I keep hearing/seeing conflicting info. Some say the negotiations with Robo are fine. Others say Robo's camp is stuck on a number the Stars won't go to. I think the assumption right now in the organization is that a deal with Robo will get done, but Nill will always explore all options and has probably had conversations to see what we can get.

My concern is if a deal doesn't get done by July 1, Ottawa could offer sheet Robo. They have the draft capital now to do it. And Dallas wouldn't be able to match, so they would see him walk for 4 firsts. That's great for the future, but does nothing for the present. Nill is going to have to get this deal done in the next week, or this is going to get real dicey.

For Ottawa, it makes all the sense in the world. The net result would be losing Tkachuk and a 1st and getting Robertson and a 3rd.

Robo held out of training camp for his last contract. Teams are handing out ridiculous deals now that the cap has raised.

It's never felt like Robo was ever going to take a team friendly deal. His camp probably believes that $12.5 million is a team friendly number.

That Kaprizov signing of $17 million a year really hurt Dallas for negotiations.

After taking a bridge deal last time, Robo and his camp probably feel like this is his only chance to get the bag, with the cap going up and Ottawa just clearing a significant portion of their cap. Don't blame him but the chances of taking a "team friendly" deal I feel like have passed

Yes this deal has to happen this week or you start shopping him in and around the league. Imo this cannot get to July 1.

TV Casualty said:

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Robo held out of training camp for his last contract. Teams are handing out ridiculous deals now that the cap has raised.

It's never felt like Robo was ever going to take a team friendly deal. His camp probably believes that $12.5 million is a team friendly number.

That Kaprizov signing of $17 million a year really hurt Dallas for negotiations.

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stupid hockey fans' perspective, here. I enjoy seeing realistic contract numbers to play for a professional sports organization in the United States.

I bet its' a really bad feeling to sign an employee contractual agreement on the losing end. Ohtani $700 Million and Mahomes $500 Million guaranteed, by exactly who? Investment holding firms in Tahiti?

Current Exchange rates:

Canadian Dollars (CAD) $100.00
vs
U.S. Dollars (USD) $69.02

1 Mexican Peso = 0.058 USD

I was not expecting this level of NHL media outrage over the Brady Tkachuk to Florida deal. I think people are forgetting the goose egg he laid in the playoffs and what type of overall player he is. And I say this as someone who likes Brady and would love what he brings on the Stars, but he's not some top 10 or even top 15 player in the league making 12+ per year. He's a good player, maybe even great in the right circumstances, but I think Ottawa made the right choice and will be better off for it.

Re: Robo - Stars offered Mikko's contract ($12m x 8), Robo rumored to be asking for Draisaitl's contract ($14m x 8). Not sure this is any surprise as these were the numbers being speculated.

Good stuff in here from Emily, Greg, and Kristen...

Stars at $12M AAV, Robertson's camp at 14M+... Can they close that gap? https://t.co/4qbnGVhUek pic.twitter.com/v1mlkhWxWR

— Sam Nestler (@samnestler) June 23, 2026

Would Detroit trade Larkin ($8.7 x 5 remaining) for Robo if Robo agrees to an extension (and DET is willing to offer $14m x 8)? They currently have $29m of cap space for 26-27.

I don't know what the contracts are, but give me Moritz Seider or Lucas Raymond instead of Larkin

Larkin for Robo straight up makes no sense for Dallas on a lot of levels. Robo is the better player in that deal, he's younger, and Dallas is already stacked at Center (and thin at LW). Detroit would need to throw in some serious draft capital or a young roster player for this to even begin to make sense. Alternatively, if they would take Lyubushkin's contract, that might help. The cap space created from that deal could allow Dallas to go try and replace Robo's production in the aggregate or allow them to get a legit RHD.

Either way, I've gone from virtually no concern that a deal with Robo gets done to somewhat concerned. I figured they'd land in the neighborhood of $12.5M, but if his camp is stuck on $14, there's no way. There are plenty of teams that would give him that, just not Dallas.

Yea I should have said Larkin+, not a 1:1 swap, for all of the reasons you stated.

Let me be the guy on the other side. I said during the season that if Robo is greedy and wants too much money, get rid of him. I would definitely trade him for Larkin and pics or maybe even another player. Larkin is everything you want in a player. If Benn hangs it up, I would even give him the C as Johnston is not ready yet. We could also do a little something in free agency since we are saving money.

Let me also add, if we are trading Robo, it definitely needs to be to the East.

I think Larkin is the type of player this team needs, but agree with FWAppraiser that a straight up trade with Detroit makes no sense. For all the reasons he stated. We're already so heavy at C you'd pretty much have to ship Hintz out as well just to make room, and you'd still be short another LW.

I am 100% concerned now that a deal won't get done. This team simply cannot afford Robo at 14M per year. They probably can't even really afford him at 13M. We cannot cash strap ourselves again and risk throwing two lines out there made up of the corpse of Jamie Benn and the scrap heap. I think the past couple of years have proved how vital quality depth is in this league.

https://www.espn.com/contributor/emily-kaplan/e8db06dbd8be3
And just like that the NHL is coming back to Texas.

FWIW, the reason I threw out Larkin is because he's requested a trade from DET and I saw a rumor on X that Dallas was on his list of preferred teams. If a deal isn't going to get done with Robo here (I personally wouldn't even give him $12mil but I know that's not realistic), I trust that Nill would be working the phones for the best deal he could find...likely with some cooperation from Robo's agent to know which teams he would even sign a long-term deal with to ensure DAL gets a return that's worth it.

Hell, I know it was only 1 year (but it was a BAD year), but I would be dangling Harley and his $10.5mil x 5 out there as well to see what I could get. Maybe Robo for a T4 RHD (which I know don't get traded) and Harley for a T6 LW. Then sign Borque to a bridge deal, trade Lyubushkin or Myers, and find some speed on the wings. All armchair fan GM'ing that may be the dumbest ideas ever, I admit.

I don't know anything about what's down in Cedar Park other than salaries, but there are 2 D's making >$1mill and 4 in the $900k range (all making more than Bichsel). Would any of them be candidates to get elevated next year or are they still too far out?

Yeah I'm not a fan and I'm a Houston based Dallas sports fan. Yuck.

Wish we could get a team in San Antonio

Sounds like the early favorite would be Austin.

The NHL is already a pretty watered down product imo. So many teams 3rd and 4th lines are basically AHL quality. Heck the Stars 3rd and 4th lines were AHL quality for stretches this year. This is just greed.

Gary Bettman says they’ve been in discussion with the Friedkin family for two years on exploring potential expansion in Houston or Austin. Both cities would require new arena. The NHL will decide over time whether or not to move forward as they explore it and in which market. pic.twitter.com/IelXg3BJQG

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 23, 2026

Bettman: this is going to require an investment of $3.5B (arena included) https://t.co/ayVvvBBvhx

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 23, 2026

Notes from an article last year around Dan Friedkin:

Quote:

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Friedkin is CEO of The Freidkin Group, which is based in Houston, and has begun his foray into professional sports ownership over the past several years. In 2020, the company bought the Italian Serie A club AS Roma. In 2024, TFG became majority owners of the English Premier League club Everton. Earlier this month, TFG helped secure 350 million in funding for a new stadium for Everton.

According to reports, the TFG was also considering a bid for the Boston Celtics of the NBA, which sold on Thursday for a record $6.1 billion.

Friedkin is chairman and CEO of Gulf States Toyota.

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Tksymm7 said:

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Sounds like the early favorite would be Austin.

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Only potential benefit here would be if the arena they build siphons off concert revenue from the Moody Center. Would hate to see a certain athletic department suddenly find themselves with less money to spend on paying players we're competing with them for in recruiting.

J.P. 03 said:

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Tksymm7 said:

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Sounds like the early favorite would be Austin.

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Only potential benefit here would be if the arena they build siphons off concert revenue from the Moody Center. Would hate to see a certain athletic department suddenly find themselves with less money to spend on paying players we're competing with them for in recruiting.

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The more pro sports in Austin the better. Spend money on that instead of cocks not glocks.

That being said I agree nhl is watered down talent wise but maybe more eyeballs via more franchises (+investment into league) can help grow the game

I think a lot of people are assuming Houston would get the bid over Austin due to its sheer TV market size but I think Austin is definitely intriguing to the NHL. Largest city in the country with no big 4 pro sports team to compete against them. Lots of tech money.

dtownAg14 said:

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I think a lot of people are assuming Houston would get the bid over Austin due to its sheer TV market size but I think Austin is definitely intriguing to the NHL. Largest city in the country with no big 4 pro sports team to compete against them. Lots of tech money.

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I agree, but where does the hockey arena go in Austin? Or would they consider building a rink to the south so they can potentially draw in the S.A. hockey hungry crowd?

AgFrogfan said:

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dtownAg14 said:

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I think a lot of people are assuming Houston would get the bid over Austin due to its sheer TV market size but I think Austin is definitely intriguing to the NHL. Largest city in the country with no big 4 pro sports team to compete against them. Lots of tech money.

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I agree, but where does the hockey arena go in Austin? Or would they consider building a rink to the south so they can potentially draw in the S.A. hockey hungry crowd?

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Yeah Austin is likely a much bigger logistical nightmare than Houston.

Rumors are making the rounds that the Sharks are still willing to move the 2nd overall pick, but would require a top line forward or defenseman to do it. That pick I could be talked into along with a young prospect like Michael Misa or Sam Dickinson. That would give you two elite upside young players and cap space, and it would give the sharks one of the best 1/2 combos is the league. While I know we'd all like an impact player right now, I personally think two elite top end young players could also fill that role.

NormanEH said:

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Put it in Waco. I can get there faster than I can get to gd Plano.

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That ain't no lie! I can get to Waco from F.W. in just a tick over 1 hour, and that's with the caterpillar crawl through Burleson on I35W.

Good question. Maybe the site of the old Austin American Statesman building though that would be a traffic disaster. Maybe "Dog's Head" area that was recently annexed by the city

I could see them popping it down south of Austin to pull from Austin and have more of a chance to pull people from San Antonio

what about near the Austin FC stadium near the Domain?

Pierre LeBrun: Re Jason Robertson: In the last 24 to 48 hours Dallas has taken more and more calls on him - OverDrive (6/22)

— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) June 23, 2026

Stars were never going over 8x12.5. This was always headed to Robo’s decision. Break the bank elsewhere or help keep the roster together and pocket a nice state tax-free 100m in Dallas. https://t.co/EYpWLJzfXw

— Bob Sturm (@SportsSturm) June 24, 2026

I'm going to manifest San Jose.

Good thing I waited on buying a Robo jersey