When news broke about Jason Robertson’s potential availability, it was met by many with a “Why?” and a grain of salt. On paper, it doesn’t make sense for Dallas to trade Robertson, especially after one “bad” postseason when he was hurt. Now it seems he is actually somewhat available, and the Rangers are one of the teams that is doing more than just kicking the tires.
To address this past postseason, Jason Robertson had just finished rehabbing an injury that required surgery. He put up 4-2-6 in 11 games as Edmonton steamrolled the Stars. In 45 previous playoff games Robertson put up 14-24-38, which includes a 1-3-4 in 7 games line from 2021-2022. His previous two postseasons, where Dallas made it to the Conference Final both times (this year was three in a row, all losses), Robertson put up 7-11-18 and 6-10-16 in 19 games each year. This year was a blip.
The question, of course, is cost. Dallas wants to “be tougher to play against” and also desperately needs some right handed defense. There are many ways to be tougher to play against, so Will Cuylle’s name will most certainly pop up in these conversations. As will Braden Schneider. But I think both are non-starters for Drury, though they probably shouldn’t be for Jason Robertson.
Hypothetically speaking, there might be a match with Alexis Lafreniere, but the Rangers would certainly need to add. Maybe “tougher to play against” means sending one of Adam Edstrom or Matt Rempe the other way as well, but neither moves the trade needle much. Would something like Lafreniere and Schneider for Robertson and Lian Bichsel make sense? Possibly.
The other wild card is Dallas is still looking to compete for a Cup, and perhaps one of the big-three of Panarin, Zibanejad, and Kreider is more appetizing than Lafreniere. It’s tough to gauge what Jim Nill is looking for other than vague statements. For the Rangers, everything is on the table. Though a deal for Jason Robertson is still highly unlikely, Drury is certainly doing his homework.
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