NHL star rejects second largest annual salary in | Sports News

Jason Robertson has put the brakes on a potential transfer to Seattle regardless of being provided a historic contract by the Kraken.

Despite being introduced with an eight-year contract with an average annual worth (AAV) in the “$15 million range,” Robertson nonetheless turned down the offer — forcing the Stars to circle back to different groups that confirmed curiosity in buying his abilities.

While in talks with Dallas, the Kraken reportedly mentioned giving up the No. 7 general choose in this yr’s NHL Draft for Robertson, however finally used the choice on defenseman Chase Reid.

The Stars, in the meantime, have stored the door open on the subject of retaining Robertson, however his desired contract is effectively above the team-high $12 million AAV that Mikko Rantanen earns. The two sides stay far aside in financial negotiations, as Dallas is working with restricted cap space.

Had Robertson accepted the transfer to Seattle, the pending restricted free agent would’ve instantly grow to be one of the highest-paid gamers in the NHL. Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov is the one different participant in the league who actively boasts an AAV higher than $14 million, having inked an eight-year, $136 million deal with Minnesota final September.

Robertson is effectively well worth the money, having recorded 40 or more objectives in three of the final six campaigns. This previous season, the 26-year-old amassed 45 objectives, 51 assists and 96 factors en path to being chosen to the NHL First All-Star Team.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Kraken normal supervisor Jason Botterill stopped short of immediately discussing the Robertson state of affairs, however asserted that Seattle would proceed to search for methods to bolster their roster. “Right now I don’t feel comfortable talking about another team’s player,” he mentioned. “But I’ll just say, hey, we are going to continue to look at a lot of different avenues to try and improve our team.”

Robertson is the newest title on a growing listing of gifted gamers who’ve spurned the Kraken. Prior to the 2026 Olympic break, Artemi Panarin inked a two-year deal with the L.A. Kings after receiving a longer and richer offer from Seattle.

The Kraken’s incapacity to draw premier expertise largely stems from their latest struggles. Seattle has fallen effectively short of the playoffs in three straight seasons and 4 of the final 5 years barring a journey to the second spherical during the 2022-23 marketing campaign.

Though the Kraken stay in the market for a marquee participant, Botterill acknowledged that there aren’t many obtainable choices in free company. “I don’t think there’s a lot of the higher-end, elite players this year,” he mentioned. “Most teams have been able to re-sign them with the (salary) cap escalation … so you’re looking at a lot more hockey trades.”