I woke up Thursday morning and marveled at the fact that the Pittsburgh Penguins were sitting in second place in the Metropolitan Division. I was also reading that the Pens are being linked to standout Dallas winger Jason Robertson in trade talks.
Thinking back to the predictions for this team in September, I wondered what alternate dimension I had fallen into.
Then again, if you had also told me around Labor Day that I’d be writing columns about the prospect of Mike McCarthy being the head coach of the Steelers and preparing myself for a potential Patriots-Seahawks Super Bowl, I would’ve wondered how much of Aaron Rodgers’ ayahuasca stash you had stolen.
But here we are. On all of those fronts.
The Robertson conversation is fascinating. If we were somewhere in time between 2007 and 2022, he’d be the Gary Roberts, Bill Guerin, Marian Hossa, Jarome Iginla or Derick Brassard of the hour. The “they gotta get him at the deadline” guy who would consume all Penguins dialogue for a two-month swath.
But this is 2026, and the Penguins are in the middle of their rebuild/retool/reconfiguration/reload (however you want to phrase it). Adding a guy who is allegedly seeking roughly $12 million per season over eight years, like his fellow teammate Mikko Rantanen, sounds like a move that would be in direct opposition to that goal.
It wouldn’t be. In fact, I see it the other way.
Adding Robertson this year or during the offseason wouldn’t be mortgaging the future at all. He’d actually be helping to secure it.
Robertson is only 26, and about to become a restricted free agent this summer (unrestricted in 2027). So far this season, Robertson has 29 goals (third in the NHL) and 58 points.
Jason Robertson scored on an IMPOSSIBLE angle ????pic.twitter.com/p1hSLIvuDu
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) January 21, 2026
He hasn’t missed a regular-season game in three and a half seasons and has averaged 87 points over the last four campaigns.
Any trade involving Robertson would also likely include the framework of a long-term deal ready to be signed. According to PuckPedia, Pittsburgh has $52.9 million in cap space slated for 2026-27. Only San Jose ($54.6) has more. General Manager Kyle Dubas can take on that hit.
Especially since the Stars would probably want Bryan Rust or Rickard Rakell back in return — if we are talking about an in-season trade.
The Stars aren’t rebuilding. They might move Robertson for economic reasons, such as nearly $57.58 million in commitments to Rantanen, Miro Heiskanen, Jake Oettinger, Wyatt Johnston, Roope Hintz and Thomas Harley next year.
That said, the Penguins would have to give significant draft capital and prospects. Even if Ben Kindel is off the table (he should be), they still have two first-rounders from last year (Bill Zonnon and Will Horcoff) as assets. On top of them, Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen could be in play. (I’d try to retain Harrison Brunicke because of the lack of NHL-ready blueline depth in the system.) Not to mention that the Penguins have 10 picks within the first three rounds of the next two drafts.
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With all of those chips, you could offer Dallas a totally fair package for a guy who might be unrestricted in 2027 if they can’t get a deal done in Texas.
Or Dubas could go the restricted free agent route. But high-end offer sheet compensation ($11.7 million) is four first-round picks over the next five drafts.
Some might think this is an outlandish conversation. Robertson hasn’t come close to matching his career high in points (109) or goals (46) the last two years. His 2024-25 output of 35 goals and 80 points is basically the season that Rakell gave the Pens last year (35, 70) for just $5 million. Not the $12 million it may take to ink Robertson.
Again, though, Robertson is only 26 and could provide wing production and additional star power with Sidney Crosby for as long as No. 87 remains in Pittsburgh, and beyond.
That also goes for Kindel and any other young centers that the Penguins move up through the system.
Granted, at any point, the Pens could go on another eight-game losing streak like they just endured last month. There is certainly nothing secure about their current playoff standing in the all-too-jumbled Eastern Conference. Adding significant players such as Robertson feels like we are gettin way ahead of ourselves.
But a Robertson trade wouldn’t just be a deal for this year.
And I can certainly talk myself into seeing it work a lot easier than a McCarthy-Rodgers reunion.