Rumors have been out there that the Dallas Stars have been taking calls on one of their top players in Jason Robertson.

The 25-year-old sniper is heading into the final year of a four year, $7.75 million AAV deal (he'll be an RFA at the end with arbitration rights) and he's looking to be in line for a significant pay raise.

That's a problem for the Stars.

It's not that they want to move the talented forward just because, it's simply just the reality of a cap crunch in a hard cap world.

Dallas has big pay bumps soon to be hitting the books for Mikko Rantanen, Wyatt Johnston and Jake Oettinger, they just re-signed Matt Duchene to a new, more expensive deal and they still have some big ticket UFAs still to sign in Jamie Benn and Mikael Granlund.

Even beyond those, the Stars have to make sure they're leaving space in the future for extensions for Thomas Harley and Robertson if they choose to ultimately keep him.

It's just that there's only so much money to go around.

Dallas already moved out Mason Marchment and his $4.5 million cap hit yesterday, but it certainly feels like another shoe still has to drop 

And so if those rumblings are true, the Carolina Hurricanes need to be all over it, especially given how much cap space they have available.

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What Does Jason Robertson Offer?

Robertson has grown into one of the league's top goal scorers and he's a player that can tilt the ice whenever he's out there.

His goal scoring took a bit of a dip in the last two seasons, but over the last four years, he's still averaging 38 goals and 87 points per season while averaging just 18:16 per game.

The 25 year old is an elite finisher who scores at a high-clip especially off the rush and in transition.

While far from being the fastest skater, he's active with his stick and can influence play on both sides of the puck with his anticipation and talent. He also draws penalties at a solid rate and is a player that elevates his linemates as well.

In terms of goal scoring, the 6-foot-3 winger knows where to go to score.

Whether he's shooting off of his quick release or going to the net for tips and redirections, the majority of his goals have come from that inner-slot area, an something the Canes definitely could use some help with.

One area of concern perhaps is that Robertson's regular season dominance hasn't quite translated to the postseason, where he has just 18 goals (but 44 points) in 56 games. 

You'd like to see a bit more of a game-breaking potential for a guy that has eclipsed 40 goals and 100 points before, but there's still plenty of talent to bet on with a young player like Robertson.

There's a potential comfortability factor already in Carolina too with defenseman Jalen Chatfield being close with Robertson (the two skate together in the summer) and from the standpoint of the two organizations, the teams have already engaged in a blockbuster deal before with the Rantanen and Logan Stankoven swap at this year's trade deadline. 

What Could a Trade Package Look Like?

The biggest thing Dallas needs is cost-controlled, right-handed defensemen.

They have a wealth of talent on the left side in Miro Heiskanen, Thomas Harley and Esa Lindell, but the sheer drop off on the right side is stark.

So how much interest would there be in a player like Scott Morrow?

In his first professional season, the rookie blueliner was tied for fifth in goals by a defenseman with 13 and his 39 points in 52 games was 16th in the league (Morrow was also third in points and second in goals among rookie blueliners).

Not only that, but he was also named to the AHL's Top Prospect Team this season as well, an honor designated to players who are believed to have the best NHL futures ahead of them.

The 2021 second-round pick has started to make the transition to the NHL already too, appearing in 16 regular season games so far and registering a goal and six points in that span. He also made his NHL playoff debut too, playing in all five games against the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final.

While there's still a lot of polish to be applied to his game, there's a lot to like on Morrow's upside with his shot, size and vision and he could be an intriguing piece for the Stars.

Perhaps Dallas too might be interested in reobtaining some of their draft capital that they unloaded to Carolina in the Mikko Rantanen trade.

The Canes have six first-round picks over the next four drafts (two of Dallas') and I'm sure they'd be okay with offloading some of them for a player like Robertson.

But I highly doubt two firsts and a rookie defenseman is getting it done though.

Carolina would still probably need to up the package with either another good roster player or another high-end prospect.

Perhaps a player like Jackson Blake, who had a strong rookie campaign (17g, 34pts in 80gp) where he showcased high-end puck skills, two-way talent and an ability to play alongside top talent could be enough to tilt the scales.

Or perhaps a prospect like Bradly Nadeau, who scored 32 goals in 64 games with the Chicago Wolves this season, becoming just the sixth ever teenager to break the 30-goal mark in an AHL season.

Or even, what about a swap of top left wingers? Would the Hurricanes be willing to move Andrei Svechnikov, who's struggled with consistency and hasn't quite been able to evolve into a true game-breaker?

I don't know, but any actual deal has to have some sizeable weight behind it on both sides.

And look, I get it. Nobody really wants to trade top players and promising prospects from their favorite team, but for a star that's broken 40 goals and scored over 100 points in a season, you have to be willing to part with good pieces.

If the Hurricanes want to get over the hump, they need to start acquiring a bit more of that game-breaking talent they've been lacking and Robertson would be a great place to start (if Dallas actually makes the decision to move him).

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