Well, the only thing you can say to the best hockey player in the world is congratulations on your new contract extension. Connor McDavid signed a two-year short-term deal with the Oilers this morning, and people are losing their minds on social media about what a good contract that is for the best player in the world. It makes you wonder if the Stars could take the same playbook and apply it to Jason Robertson and Thomas Harley until the salary cap rises. Let's take a look at the possibility of that below.
Robertson and Harley are two of the up-and-coming stars in the NHL. Robertson can't be stopped on some nights from finding the back of the net, and Harley is the "United States version" of Miro Heiskanen. Even though Harley doesn't play for Team USA, he was born in Syracuse, New York, and is still considered to be an American. He and Robertson are likely to be expensive on long-term contracts, and Nill might try to emulate what the Oilers did with McDavid this morning.
To replicate the Oilers' approach, Nill would need to offer massive signing bonuses to both Robertson and Harley in both seasons. That's how the Oilers were able to prevent McDavid from seeking a trade. Robertson and Harley could each sign for three seasons and receive a massive salary bonus, allowing the Stars to have room to make other moves if needed. The only thing currently blocking the Stars from doing something like this is Tyler Seguin's contract.
This might be what Jim Nill was waiting for to happen before discussing a new contract with Robertson's agent. It would make sense to sign a short-term deal and wait for the salary cap to increase over the next couple of seasons before Robertson wants what Mikko Rantanen is making for the next eight seasons. It would keep Robertson happy with a short-term deal while the Stars still have the financial resources to compete for the Stanley Cup. Once the salary cap is raised, then ask for the long-term contract.
The Stars could also approach Thomas Harley's agent with a similar contract. Given his status as one of the rising stars in the NHL, he's likely to attract a lot of interest from teams if he becomes a free agent. A nice short-term contract like McDavid's could keep Harley happy in Dallas until the salary cap rises. I'm not sure if it would work for either player, but McDavid's contract might have given Nill short-term relief to keep Robertson and Harley in Dallas for a while longer.