The Dallas Stars had deals in place this offseason that would have sent high-scoring forward Jason Robertson and young standout defenseman Thomas Harley to other teams.
asserted
that → have → teams
Since neither of those trades got completed, Robertson and Harley were both on the ice with the Stars for the start of training camp Thursday.
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Robertson → complete → camp
Robertson is back on a $12 million, one-year deal that avoided salary arbitration after the Stars had a sign-and-trade deal in place with Seattle during the NHL draft in June.
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Stars → avoid → June
Robertson didn’t agree to a reported $120 million, eight-year contract ($15 million a season) with the Kraken.
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Robertson → agree → Kraken
“It feels like another day, as if nothing ever happened and we’re back at it,” Robertson said after the first practice.
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Robertson → feel → practice
“I want to be present. ...
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I → want → ?
When I’m out here, it feels like the most of where I belong, on the ice playing.”
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I → ’m → ice
The Stars were then set to send Harley and Mavrik Bourque to Columbus for Norris Trophy winner Zach Werenski, but the star defenseman exercised his no-trade clause to remain with the Blue Jackets.
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defenseman → set → Jackets
Bourque was instead traded to Nashville at the start of free agency.
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Bourque → trade → agency
“I’ve always known that this is a business, but for the first time it really affected me that way, so it was a stressful week for sure,” said Harley, who later spoke with general manager Jim Nill and coach Glen Gulutzan.
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who → know → Nill
“We’re all on the same page, I want to be here, they want me here, so it’s all good.
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it → ’re → me
This is the first season of an $84.69 million, eight-year contract extension that the 25-year-old Harley agreed to last November.
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Harley → agree → that
“I’ve already talked to him and then we move on,” said Nill, who added that Harley is a big part of the team.
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Harley → talk → team
That was the same for Nill with the 27-year-old Robertson, who the Stars drafted 39th overall in the second round of the 2017 draft.
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Stars → draft → draft
Robertson has averaged more than a point a game in his six full NHL seasons with 490 points (213 goals and 277 assists) in 456 regular-season games, including all 328 games the past four years.
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Robertson → average → games
He was their leading scorer with 96 points (45 goals and 51 assists) last season, and had five goals with three assists in six playoff games.
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He → have → games
He became a restricted free agent after his third 40-goal season wrapped up the $31 million, four-year deal that he signed after being a holdout in training camp in 2022.
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he → become → 2022
Without a contract extension from the Stars, which under NHL rules now couldn’t come before Jan. 1, Robertson next summer could become an unrestricted free agent for the first time.
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Robertson → come → time
For now, the focus is on the ice with the Stars coming off their longest offseason in four years.
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Stars → come → years
They were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs last season after making the Western Conference Final each of the previous three years.
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They → knock → years
“Just playing, that’s when I’m most comfortable not thinking about it,” Robertson said about the contract situation.
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Robertson → play → situation
“I had to deal with it last year, kind of dealt with it four years ago.”
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I → have → it
His $12 million salary for 2026-27 matches forward Mikko Rantanen for the highest on the Stars.
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salary → match → Stars
Rantanen is going into the second season of the $96 million, eight-year extension he signed to facilitate the deadline trade that brought him to Dallas from Carolina in March 2025.
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that → go → March
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