Maybe Jason Robertson didn’t care for the Seattle Kraken uniforms, either.
Three months after scoring winger Artemi Panarin turned down $14 million per year to sign with Seattle – and hinted uniform design was part of the reason – Robertson of the Dallas Stars passed on the Kraken’s even more lucrative offer. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Seattle offered the net-filling forward an eight year deal worth $15 million AAV.
Seattle had received permission from the Stars to negotiate with the soon-to-be restricted free agent. They’d even worked out trade parameters with Dallas, believed to include the Kraken’s 7th overall pick in Friday’s NHL Draft. Only one hitch – Robertson declined.
It’s easy to understand why the 26-year-old native of Arcadia, California was desired. The man described as a “rising superstar” has scored 213 goals and 490 points in 463 NHL games.
Those numbers include 45 goals last season, the third time he’s topped 40 goals. Besides that, he has size – 6-foot-3, 207 pounds – and a Mensa-level hockey IQ.
Coachella Valley Firebirds coach Derek Laxdal, a former Stars assistant coach, said of Robertson, “His ability to circumvent a play or to think outside the box off a rush – below the goal line, shooting off the end wall, shooting off a pad, shooting off the net, passing to himself at full speed – was incredible. Once he established that he was an NHL player, we just saw the natural talent,” Laxdal said.
Why Were Kraken Jilted Again?
Perhaps it’s best not to spend any more time extolling Robertson’s virtues, because the 2nd Filipino-American to make the NHL ain’t coming here. That leaves the burning question – why not?
- Was it about money?
Clearly not. The offer to Robertson would have made him the NHL’s second-highest paid player, behind only Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov ($17 million AAV). Whether Dallas ends up signing him, or someone else does on July 1, it’s likely he’ll agree to less money, and maybe less term, too.
Panarin ended up signing with the L.A. Kings for $22 million over two years, $3 million per season less than Seattle was reportedly offering.
- Was it about the city?
Highly unlikely, despite what some keyboard warriors have claimed. Players usually favor their own luxurious bubbles regardless of location. Kraken players have almost universally praised the access to mountains, lakes, hiking trails, etc. Take it from someone who’s lived a long time in both Seattle and Dallas. Even with its issues, the Emerald City has it all over Big D.
- Was it about the facilities?
Certainly not. Climate Pledge Arena and Kraken Community Iceplex are both world class. Caveat: if Robertson didn’t want to play for the Kraken, he might not have taken time to even find out about the region or the facilities. More’s the pity.
- Was it about ownership/management/chance to win a Cup?
Now you’re onto something.
The Kraken have missed the playoffs for three straight years. They’ve started the season with a different coach for each of those three seasons. At the moment, Seattle is neither rebuilding nor contending. The roster doesn’t contain a, well, a Jason Robertson. If winning a Cup now is Robertson’s motivation, he wouldn’t see the Kraken being a viable option.
Counterpoint: Two-thirds of the teams in the NHL aren’t viable Stanley Cup contenders. Robertson reportedly also nixed moves to St. Louis and Ottawa (and who knows who else).
If players go the NBA route and only want to join “superteams” – Colorado, Vegas, Dallas, Florida, Carolina, Tampa – the league has a bigger problem than Seattle’s with Robertson. Besides, eight years is a long time; who’s to say Seattle couldn’t attain that contender status?
One other wild card. A well-liked Dallas Star got traded to Seattle last season, flamed out, and was quickly traded so as not to prolong the mistake. If Robertson talked to former teammate Mason Marchment, he might have gotten a less than flattering scouting report.
- Was it what Robertson saw in person?
That certainly didn’t help. Robertson’s Stars hold an all-time regular season record against the Kraken of 17-4-1. Dallas has won the last nine meetings. In those nine games, the Kraken were shut out twice, and held to one goal five times. What kind of an impression would that leave on you?
During its 2023 playoff series with the Stars, the Kraken did limit Robertson to zero goals and five assists in seven games. But that’s getting to be ancient history. Since then, Robertson has played 36 postseason games – 36 more than Seattle.
What Do Kraken Do Now?
Short term, general manager Jason Botterill turns his attention to using that 7th overall selection in the 1st round of the draft. Then he works on making the Kraken a winner by hitting singles and doubles instead of swinging for the fences – and thereby making this an attractive destination over time.
Let’s go back to Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke’s state of the franchise press conference on April 9.
“We talk a lot about recruiting free agents. When I led the Seahawks, we had a similar challenge. We were having trouble getting players to come visit, but now it’s a place that players in the NFL want to play. There’s renown there. We have the pieces in place (with the Kraken), but we’ve got to do more to make this a hockey city, to keep players, to attract other players.”
If the problem was indeed tackled in the now-completed Phase 1 of the audit, it hasn’t been addressed publicly. But clearly, more attention needs to be paid to resolving the issue of the NHL elite snubbing the Kraken.
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