It might have been a utopian scenario for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Yet after the asking price for a Dallas Stars forward was reported, Auston Matthews and company might have to wave goodbye to the prospect of a new super talent arriving for the 2025–26 NHL season.
The Maple Leafs are looking for answers. Mitch Marner’s departure has left Matthews and company in the lookout for a new top-six forward. Finding such a player in this stage of the offseason is way easier said than done, nevertheless.
The free agency market is quite plain, with no clear candidates who could fill out Marner’s shoes. Not that that’s necessary possible, but any help would be deeply appreciated by Matthews and the Leafs. However, all signs indicate trading could be Toronto’s best means to accomplish its pursuit.
On that note, there is one candidate who checks all the boxes for the Maple Leafs — that is, of course, if the Dallas Stars don’t reach an agreement on a contract extension. Jason Robertson, whose brother Nicholas is currently an RFA with the Leafs, is weighing his options.
Jason Robertson #21 of the Dallas Stars looks on against the Edmonton Oilers during the first periodin Game Four of the Western Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on May 27, 2025 in Edmonton, Alberta.
Dallas Buyers (or Sellers) Club
Dallas is reportedly willing to trade him for the right price, and Toronto had emerged as a potential suitor in the NHL. However, after Robertson and his camp’s asking price was hinted by an insider, it might steer the Leafs away.
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“The feeling has been that the ask could be to match Mikko Rantanen’s AAV, [which is of $12M],” insider Nick Kypreos, via Sportsnet.
Too much
Robertson would be an exciting addition to the lineup in The Six, but an average annual value of $12M is seemingly too big an asking price. Toronto is currently only $5.3M over the NHL’s salary cap, adding such an expensive deal would require a lot of flexibility from GM Brad Treliving and the front office.
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Meanwhile, Robertson and the Stars will continue their negotiations. The 25-year-old is entering the final season of the four-year, $31M deal he signed in 2022. The current contract carries an annual cap hit of $7.75M, which ranks sixth-highest in Pegasus City. Robertson will become a restricted free agent when the deal expires in the summer of 2026. Still, Dallas hopes to have the situation resolved before the deadline.
