Kraken Turned Down by Jason Robertson, Offered Big Contract per Report
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - The night before the 2026 NHL draft, a significant report came out from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman regarding the Seattle Kraken taking a big-time swing on an elite winger. A clear attempt to stay true to their promise of a prolific offseason, general manager Jason Botterill had a trade in place with the Dallas Stars for Jason Robertson and was ready to offer a juicy extension. Robertson declined, and Seattle is left searching for someone else to make their first true star.
Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson seen at a game against the Seattle Kraken during the 2024-25 season at Climate Pledge Arena. (Photos by Nate Koppelman for Circling Seattle Sports)
Per Friedman, the Kraken had been given permission to speak with the 26-year-old Robertson, putting an eight-year, $15 million-per-year deal on the table for him if he was interested in a trade to the Pacific Northwest.
According to Friedman’s sources, the two Western Conference teams had a trade in place prior to getting permission to speak with the Arcadia, California native, which would’ve included the seventh overall selection in tomorrow’s draft. Robertson would’ve needed a new deal because he’s a restricted free agent as of July 1st.
Interestingly enough, following this news of Robertson denying the Kraken and their lucrative offer, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that the Stars are currently circling back to teams that had shown interest in the winger while also keeping dialogue open regarding potentially staying in Dallas. Technically, that leaves the door open for Seattle to try again, but it would be hard to put together a significant trade package for a player who denied a big contract from you.
LeBrun’s report states that the Kraken had been interested in Robertson, and he obviously fit the bill when it came to their hopes of big-game hunting this offseason. His report also mentions Seattle looking elsewhere as they look to improve their roster prior to the 2026-27 season.
It’s been reported by Jeff Marek that the St. Louis Blues offered a trade package involving multiple first-round picks to Dallas, but he’s not interested in signing there, either.
This is the second reported big swing at a big-name forward that the Kraken have taken dating back to last year, after trying to acquire Artemi Panarin before he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings prior to the 2025-26 trade deadline. Similar to the reported attempt at Robertson, Seattle offered an extension north of $14 million per year, but for just a two-year term.
There are clear differences between the Panarin and Robertson reports, but both highlight issues for the Kraken when trying to acquire a “big fish” type of player. There will be odd remarks about the city of Seattle and how nobody wants to be here, but that’s been disproven when you look at the comments Bobby McMann made upon signing his new deal just a few days ago.
The Kraken have put together top-tier facilities, and the fanbase has shown plenty of passion over the five years of on-ice existence. Visiting players and coaches have repeatedly praised Seattle and its fans for how loud they make Climate Pledge Arena, with Kraken players citing the facilities and passionate fans as factors in their decisions to sign here. Seattle has the benefit of being a no-tax-state team, something that has previously been considered important to star players seeking big contracts.
What’s become clear with Seattle’s situation is that the current roster and the vision being pitched to star players isn’t enough to get them here. There is a ton going in the Kraken’s favor off the ice, but clearly, their situation on it and the vision for the present and future isn’t enough.
Expect Seattle to continue their pursuit of a star, waving the seventh overall pick and likely Shane Wright around as trade bait. While the Kraken’s best-case scenario for a sustainable product on the ice is to tear down and properly build through the draft, ownership and the front office don’t seem keen on that idea and haven’t for years. They are going to try to make this work, and they are working hard to do so, as this report makes clear.
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