Throughout their history, Minnesota Wild fans love a good villain. Todd Bertuzzi was one of the first to feel the wrath of Wild fans during their first taste of playoff hockey. The playoff vitriol was renewed when Patrick Roy went from a Hall of Fame goalie in the 2000s to the Colorado Avalanche’s head coach in the 2010s.
Even Ryan Suter went from franchise savior to playoff adversary in recent history, and the first round in general may as well be Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s “Final Boss” persona, given how long it’s been since the Wild have been out of the first round.
But the Wild’s upcoming playoff series with the Dallas Stars has a chance to produce some new villains. And winger Jason Robertson is one of the biggest that could come out of this series.
Wild fans already have some beef established with Robertson. When he became a full-time NHL player during the 2020-21 season, he was the top competition for Kirill Kaprizov for the Calder Trophy, scoring 17 goals and recording 45 points in 51 games. He became an All-Star during the 2022-23 season (46 goals, 109 points) and had two goals and seven points during the last playoff series against Minnesota the following spring.
But while Robertson looked like a blossoming franchise player, he’s hit a wall since that series. Robertson has tallied 80 points in each of the past two seasons, and while he’s rebounded with 41 goals and 91 points in 78 games entering Thursday night’s game against the Wild, he’s become overlooked.
The most immediate storyline to Wild fans is Robertson’s feud with general manager Bill Guerin. Guerin has been the general manager for the United States national team for the Olympics and last year’s 4 Nations Tournament, but Guerin opted against adding Robertson to the team. While Team USA could have used his goal-scoring, Guerin opted for a more complete approach, adding physicality to the bottom six.
Guerin’s approach worked, capturing the United States’ first Olympic gold medal since 1980. But Robertson would be human if he watched that performance and believed he should have been part of it. This creates the typical “revenge” storyline that anyone who didn’t go to Milan would have, but it’s not the only reason Robertson could play with some fire in the playoffs.
Robertson will become a restricted free agent at the end of this season. While it appeared he was a cornerstone for Dallas, it feels like his own organization has been planning an exit strategy. The Stars made a big commitment, signing Mikko Rantanen to an eight-year, $96 million contract after acquiring him in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes last season. While the cap is going up, there’s a question of how much they want to pay Robertson.
The Athletic’s Shayna Goldman dove into Robertson’s case, projecting his next contract with a $11.9 million per season. But he’s also playing at a level that would have his market value jump up to $15.7 million over the next eight seasons.
The Wild may have sabotaged Robertson’s campaign to get paid after handing Kaprizov a contract with a $17 million annual average value that begins next year. And while teams have decided to keep their own players amid a salary-cap increase, rather than being more aggressive in free agency, Robertson could be the odd man out in Dallas if they wind up getting bounced by the Wild in the first round.
“As much as the Stars may not want to trade Robertson, it may be the only way to shake up this roster if this postseason ends up in disappointment again,” Goldman wrote. “Dallas’ asset pool has been decimated over the years; its prospect pipeline is down at 31st in the league, and the club is already without two of its next three first, second, and third rounders.
“So this might be the best path to gaining assets that allow this team to swing for another high-end player. It’s just a risky path, considering how few players are as valuable as Robertson right now. The Stars know exactly what he is capable of, how well he fits in Dallas, and what a core part of this team has become.”
This sets up a dangerous combination for the Wild. Robertson may want to stick it to Guerin after being passed over twice for the U.S. national team. But he also probably wants to get paid and make sure it happens in Dallas. Robertson’s playoff career hasn’t been fruitful as he had just four goals and six points in the Stars’ 11-game playoff run a year ago but if he plays like he did in 2022-23 (seven goals, 18 points in 19 games) and 2023-24 (six goals, 16 points), he can show that he’s part of the solution.
For a Wild team looking for their first playoff series win in a decade, this is something they don’t want to see. And it could lead to a motivated Robertson having a big performance as the Stars look to send Minnesota to another early tee time.
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