It will likely be years, if ever, that we know the complete story of the Seattle Kraken getting their eight year, $120 million offer rejected by Dallas Stars (for now) winger Jason Robertson. We detailed the facts as we know them here.
But there’s much more to the story from last week. Hints were provided by Elliotte Friedman on his 32 Thoughts podcast. Those hints suggest that behind the scenes, Kraken management was shocked and upset by Robertson turning down their mega-deal.
“It was very raw,” Friedman said. “It’s a really, really emotional night. Some of the reaction was pretty crazy. Everybody is shocked that this didn’t happen.” By contrast, Kraken general manager Jason Botterill’s only public reaction consisted of nine completely emotionless words. “I don’t feel comfortable talking about another team’s player.”
Kraken ‘Did Everything Right’
Friedman was feeling Seattle’s pain. “I thought this would be a really good thing for them. They wanted that big, tentpole, stud number-one forward, 40 goal scorer. They’ve never had anybody like that. And you can’t fault them. They stepped up. They made a huge financial offer.
“I feel terribly for the Kraken. I’m sure they didn’t want this to get out. Seattle did everything right here. It’s a kick in the teeth for them and their fans.”
Kraken management weren’t the only ones with their jaws on the figurative floor.
“I have no idea what this guy is thinking,” a perplexed Jeff O’Neill shared on the TSN Overdrive podcast. “(Robertson) must have some kind of inflated vision of himself. He’s a good player and it’s a year where there’s not a ton of them around, and he’s going to set the market. But to turn down eight years at 15 per, I’m sorry. His agent must be just disgusted.
“Isn’t it just a slam dunk when somebody offers you that money? You could go in the gym tomorrow (and get hurt). If somebody puts that in front of your face, I have no idea how you could possibly say – I don’t care if that’s in the worst place in North America – I’m telling my agent, and my agent would tell me, you’re signing the contract. You just can’t say no to that. I don’t get it. 120 million.”
Friedman suggested, “I don’t think he was turning down approximately $15 million. He just made a choice that the destination wasn’t what he preferred. If you’re the Kraken, you think there’s no way he’s going to turn down eight times 15. Seattle was prepared to structure the contract where as much money as possible would get done before that (“millionaire’s”) tax kicks in.
“And now you’re sitting here, well, where do we go from here?”
Two Views On Moves Kraken Should Make Next
Tyler Yaremchuk, on his Daily Faceoff podcast, unfolded a roadmap he’s pointed to in the past. “Every pundit points to Seattle and says ‘Do the right thing and rebuild.’ Now players are almost looking at you and being like, ‘Hey, just do the right thing and rebuild, don’t sign me to this contract.’
“And yet Seattle is stubborn, but they just can’t get themselves that true superstar. There’s really usually only one way to guarantee you get one, and it’s to go through the draft.”
Not every pundit shares that view. In a KIRO-AM radio interview, Daily Faceoff’s Jeff Marek extracted a positive from recent rejections by high-profile players – not only Robertson, but also Artemi Panarin and St. Louis’ Robert Thomas.
“This is a team that’s always tried to be safe and hit singles. When you’re too safe for too long, you find yourself with a roster where everybody’s out of place. Everybody’s playing one level higher than they should play.
“The one thing we see out of Jason Botterill, at least the Kraken are in the business of taking big swings. I don’t think Botterill’s done with big swings, either. Botterill will try to double down to land the big one. Jason Robertson wasn’t interested in Seattle. He wants to stay in Dallas – at his number, which is $14 million times eight (years).”
Marek wouldn’t be surprised to see Seattle further dip into its stockpile of picks and prospects for proven players. He cited the acquisition of Mackie Samoskevich for a 1st and 2nd as an example.
“They’re making a trade not just based on how they feel about this player today, but also what they feel this player can turn into.”
Earlier Kraken:
— No Deal With Kraken; Tolvanen To Hit Free Agency
