Are we ready for regular order? Jason Robertson is back, and it sounds as if he wants to make up for his lost preseason.
Jason Robertson missed the entire Dallas Stars preseason due to foot surgery. Longtime Stars fans outwardly said “Cool, cool” and inwardly braced themselves for a bad time.
But Robo has missed training camp before, and things seemed to work out pretty well. Stars staff writer Mike Heika spoke with Robertson, who’s officially confirmed for the opening-night roster against the Nashville Predators in Music City:
…[A]s Dallas gets ready for the season opener on Thursday at Nashville, there is a chance there could be some rust to knock off in a lot of different ways. However, all of the principles seemed confident this week that everything would work out well.
“I feel great,” said Robertson, who had the foot surgery in July and was skating this past week with his teammates. “I’m happy to be with the guys and not by myself.”
The fan favorite sounds confident, but not cocky as he prepares to hit the ground running:
The 25-year-old left wing has been the driving force in the team’s offense for the past three seasons. He was second in points with 79 in 2021-22 and led the team with 41 goals. In 2022-23, he had the second-best season in franchise history with 109 points (46 goals, 63 assists) and last year led the team with 80 points (29 goals, 51 assists). While Robertson missed the entire preseason in a contract dispute before his 46-goal season, he said this one will be a bit more challenging as the surgery affected his workouts while the contract dispute did not.
“I think there’s confidence knowing I have done it, but this is a little different,” Robertson said. “It’s one of the first times in my career where I didn’t have a summer to get going. I think mentally it’s good. Physically, we’ll see how it is.”
There’s more at Mike’s place as he catches up with players and coaches. Have a look. [Dallas Stars]
Stars Stuff
Speaking of that opening-night roster…drink it in, folks.
Sam Nestler collected a ton of Stars factoids during the preseason. Find out everything from how Oskar Bäck won the 13th-forward job to how Jason Robertson prepares for the power play.
#Murder Was The Case
Can you believe we’re back to Central Division action? And even Central-on-Central violence? You know it’s hockey season when.
- The Seattle Kraken gave up a two-goal lead when they let the St. Louis Blues score three times in two minutes. That ended up sealing the 3-2 game. [Davy Jones’ Locker Room]
- The Utah Hockey Club started their inaugural season with a bang, defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 in Delta Center. [NHL]
Around The Leagues
After everything Utah HC has accomplished this summer, they’ve still been frustrated by a broadcasting dispute stemming from an inherited contract. (Maybe there’s room on Victory+, just sayin’.)
Rick Westhead is one of hockey’s must-follow accounts, and his latest article for TSN details what could be a landmark players’-rights case unspooling in the Canadian major juniors.
Finally
Not enough Stars. Otherwise, great spot. Enjoy.