Canadiens targeting Mark Scheifele as Jason Robertson’s future fuels trade talk

As the 2026-27 NHL season draws near, the Montreal Canadiens are being linked to Winnipeg Jets star Mark Scheifele, while uncertainty around Jason Robertson’s future with the Dallas Stars continues to drive trade speculation. Both situations involve high-end offensive talent and complicated contract dynamics that could reshape their respective teams.

Canadiens still hunting a second-line centre, Scheifele mentioned as target

Montreal is poised to open the season with sophomore Oliver Kapanen centring the second line between wingers Ivan Demidov and Juraj Slafkovsky. Even so, general manager Kent Hughes is expected to keep tracking the trade market in search of a more established option down the middle.

Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reported that the Canadiens previously tried to persuade Dylan Larkin to waive for a move to Montreal, but the Detroit Red Wings centre reportedly has no interest in joining a Canadian team. Kypreos also indicated that Montreal is among the clubs monitoring Scheifele’s status in Winnipeg.

Scheifele is coming off a 103-point career season and is signed with the Jets through 2030-31 with an $8.5‑million average annual value. He currently holds a full no-movement clause until July 2027, at which point the protection converts to a 10-team trade list, significantly limiting where Winnipeg could send him.

According to Kypreos, the Jets’ standoff with starting goaltender Connor Hellebuyck — who requested a trade and is suspended without pay after failing to report to training camp — could force management to reassess the core. In that context, he believes the club may be weighing whether to retain Scheifele or move him for a major return.

Kypreos suggested that any Scheifele deal involving Montreal would come with a steep asking price, potentially including Kapanen or top prospect Michael Hage. He also floated the idea that oft-injured forward Kirby Dach and goaltender Samuel Montembeault could be part of a package. For the Canadiens, the dilemma would be whether to pay that premium for a high-salaried centre whose play is expected to taper off over the remaining five seasons of his deal, and who would first have to agree to a move to Montreal.

Robertson’s one-year deal in Dallas keeps Kraken, Penguins in the rumour mill

In Dallas, Jason Robertson enters the season on a one-year, $12‑million contract with his long-term outlook still unresolved. The 27-year-old winger has been at the centre of trade chatter since last summer, when a contract impasse reportedly came close to sending him to the Seattle Kraken before he reached his current agreement with the Stars.

Robertson is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next July, and extension talks can begin on Jan. 1. Kypreos speculated that those negotiations might not start right away and even envisioned a scenario where the Stars sign Robertson to a long-term extension, then flip him to Seattle before that new deal takes effect on July 1.

Kypreos also pointed to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ signing of Nick Robertson as being motivated in part by the possibility of attracting Jason if he reaches the open market on July 1. The family connection could become a factor should the winger test free agency.

Stars general manager Jim Nill, however, offered a different tone when speaking with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Nill said he met with Robertson and his family over the summer to repair the relationship and stressed that his priority is to keep the forward under contract beyond next season. A sign-and-trade to Seattle, Pittsburgh, or another club would undoubtedly be a bold move, but Nill is unlikely to consider it before the March 1 trade deadline if Dallas remains in the Stanley Cup contender conversation.