NHL Rumours: Robertson Arbitration, Jack Hughes to Wild & Wright To Habs? – The Hockey Writers – NHL Rumors

In today’s NHL rumour rundown, we start off with Jason Robertson, who has a ticking clock on filing for arbitration with the Dallas Stars. Next, we look at the idea of Jack Hughes potentially joining his brother, Quinn, with the Minnesota Wild.

Finally, Shane Wright and the Seattle Kraken have had a bumpy road, and it appears that he may be traded sooner rather than later.

Robertson Approaching Arbitration Deadline

The Stars have had one major problem on their hands this offseason. With just under $10 million in cap space, they have all of their players signed, except for Robertson.

After reportedly turning down a $15.6 million salary from the Seattle Kraken, it has been made pretty clear that Robertson wants to stay in Dallas.

The Stars are somewhere in the $12-$12.5 million range on his deal, and are having a hard time budging. Robertson clearly wants more, and isn’t willing to come down to that point, or a deal would already be done.

Robertson has four options right now.

The first option is to sign what the Stars are offering. That seems unlikely right now, but it is the fastest way to end the speculation.

Second would be holding out until later in the summer and seeing if the Stars are willing to come up more. Third would be him waiting out longer than just the summer.

Finally, arbitration. Robertson has until the end of the business day on July 5 to file, which would allow a neutral arbitrator to hear both sides and award him a new contract.

If Robertson is to file for arbitration, the club would be able to choose whether it is a one-year or two-year deal. If Robertson were to file, he would no longer be eligible for an offer sheet, but would also not hold any no-trade clauses in his contract.

There are certainly some pros and cons for Robertson when it comes to arbitration, but he will need to decide fast.

Is Jack Hughes Going to Join the Wild?

One storyline that has been hovering around for a while has been the Hughes brothers uniting on one NHL team. For a long time, the New Jersey Devils seemed like the easy choice as they held both Jack and Luke Hughes, but the best of the three might look to stick with the Wild for a while longer.

As the Wild look to extend Quinn Hughes, which seems likely based on owner Craig Leipold’s comments, they could look to bring in Jack as well.

It makes perfect sense for the Wild. He is a star centre, which is exactly what they need most, but what about the Devils?

The Devils didn’t do a ton to get better this offseason. They have struggled to be a mainstay in the playoff race, but have their sights set on success. Trading Jack doesn’t make a ton of sense right now, unless they were to get a massive haul for him.

The Athletic’s Michael Russo and Joe Smith are two of the most well-trusted Wild reporters, and in one of their latest columns, they stated, “The summer is far from over, and the Wild believe they are still in the mix for Larkin and who knows who else (Jack Hughes?).” (from ‘Wild’s July 1 patience has a price: Glaring holes remain after first day of free agency’, The Athletic, July 1, 2026)

They are going to be aggressive for a centre. Hughes makes a ton of sense from their side, but would Sunny Mehta ever consider it?

Shane Wright Trade on the Horizon

Since the day he was drafted, there have been questions regarding Wright. He was projected to go first overall, but the Montreal Canadiens shocked the world when they took Juraj Slafkovsky first overall. The surprise was even bigger when the Arizona Coyotes and Devils let him fall to fourth, where the Kraken picked him up.

Now, four years later, could the Canadiens circle back on him?

As they continue looking for a second-line centre, they may look at the upside Wright has and look to acquire him, and the Kraken are more than open to seeing a fair trade offer come their way.

From a report by Elliotte Friedman, Wright’s agent stated, “I can confirm that we have had positive conversations with GM Jason Botterill, and he has agreed to move Shane this summer to a team in need of a top young centre,”

While he hasn’t broken out into a true top-six centre yet, there is a ton of upside with Wright. He is a very talented player, but things with the Kraken haven’t gone perfectly, but that isn’t isolated to just Wright’s situation. Young players haven’t found room to thrive there yet.

After passing on him, and Wright staring down the Canadiens’ draft table, is there any chance they could work together?