Penguins and Stars reportedly discussed Jason Robertson during the NHL Draft

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ front office has reportedly been looking outward as the 2026 NHL Entry Draft unfolded, with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman saying the team had “some momentum” in discussions with the Dallas Stars about star winger Jason Robertson.

According to Friedman’s report, the talks took place during the weekend of the draft, as teams worked through the combination of draft strategy and roster-building planning that typically accelerates once the first round concludes and executives are back in their conference-room mode. The report frames the conversations as part of a broader effort by Pittsburgh to engage with bigger trade-market names rather than focusing solely on draft-night additions.

Friedman’s update also ties the conversations to Pittsburgh’s current leadership structure. After Kyle Dubas, the Penguins’ president of hockey operations and general manager, spoke with the media on Friday following round one of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, it became apparent, per the report, that Dubas and his staff have been “poking around” at the kind of players that change a team’s short-term ceiling.

Robertson, for Dallas, is an offensively central piece and one of the league’s more recognizable forward talents. While the report does not provide details on proposed trade structures or the likelihood of any deal, the mere fact that the Penguins were connected to the Stars’ player underscores how aggressive Pittsburgh’s approach is being portrayed as the draft progresses.

The context matters because the draft is often the first public checkpoint for a club’s offseason priorities. Teams can evaluate prospects in real time, but executives also use the event as leverage for conversations with teams that are balancing contract timelines, cap considerations, and competitive window decisions. In that sense, Friedman’s framing of momentum suggests there was at least some level of engagement from both sides, even if nothing is finalized.

For Pittsburgh, the central question now is how far the interest extends beyond preliminary discussions. A Robertson-level move would represent a move toward immediate contention or, at minimum, an attempt to stabilize the team’s scoring identity by adding an established star rather than waiting for prospects to develop.

For Dallas, the implication is more about negotiation posture than about any confirmed decision. Trade talks do not automatically mean a player is on the move, but they do indicate that at least one rival is prepared to bring real value to the table and that Dallas had to listen during the draft’s high-visibility period.