October 24, 2025 | 12:10pm ET
TheFourthPeriod.com

STATUS QUO FOR HARLEY, ROBERTSON TALKS WITH DALLAS

Jason Robertson, forward

The Dallas Stars are off to a rollercoaster start to the 2025-26 season. After winning their first three games of the campaign, they lost three straight in regulation and fell to the Los Angeles Kings in overtime last night.

With a 3-3-1 record, the Stars aim to get back atop the Central Division as they keep the lines of communication open with young studs Thomas Harley and Jason Robertson.

Harley, 24, and Robertson, 26, are in the final year of their respective contracts and are currently eligible to become restricted free agents next summer.

During this week’s episode of DFO Rundown Insider Edition, Irfaan Gaffar and David Pagnotta discussed their contractual statuses, with Pagnotta noting that both players’ situations remain status quo, for the time being and discussions with GM Jim Nill remain fluid.

“Well, (Nill’s) got two key guys that they’ve continued to go back and forth with that are pending RFAs next summer. Obviously, Jason Robertson being the big, big, big, big one, but how much bigger than Thomas Harley? I’m not sure,” he said. “I can tell you the conversations continue between both, there’s nothing really to report on either of those two guys with respect to, at least as of late (Tuesday) night, nothing really close there, but the conversations continue.”

Robertson’s name has popped up in trade speculation dating back to last season, but the Stars have not been interested in moving him and prefer to have him part of their long-term success.

Pagnotta added that he doesn’t “get the sense there’s worry” from the team or either player, but noted will command “a significant pay increase and eat up a lot of their cap” moving forward.

The Stars currently have $28 million in projected salary cap space for the 2026-27 season, which still gives them plenty of room to sign both players and fill additional holes on the roster.

“There’s still a long pathway before we get to July 1 and they got business at hand,” Pagnotta relayed, referring to this season. “The good sign is the lines of communication are still open.”