Dallas star Jason Robertson isn’t a center. That shouldn’t deter the Flyers from trading for him if he’s available.

Entering the 2017 NHL draft, the Flyers and Dallas Stars were in similar places. Both were coming off disappointing seasons after racking up 90-plus points and playoff berths the year before, but both featured stars in or entering their primes and had just gotten favorable bounces in that April’s draft lottery to potentially add more. The Flyers moved up from 13th to No. 2 and Dallas from eighth to third.

In the eight years since, the Flyers and Stars have veered in opposite directions, as the Orange and Black have won just one playoff series and have missed the last five postseasons, while Dallas reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2020 and played in the last three Western Conference finals. Those differing trajectories can largely be traced to what transpired that June 23-24 on the floor of the United Center in Chicago.

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Then-Flyers general manager Ron Hextall, holding picks Nos. 2, 27, and 35 in the first two rounds, selected three centers in Nolan Patrick, Morgan Frost, and Isaac Ratcliffe. Meanwhile, the Stars, picking at Nos. 3, 26, and 39, landed a Norris Trophy-candidate defenseman in Miro Heiskanen, a Vezina-caliber goaltender in Jake Oettinger, and a 40-goal, 100-point winger in Jason Robertson. To rub salt in the wound, two-time Norris winner Cale Makar went fourth to Colorado, and All-Star center Elias Pettersson went fifth to Vancouver.

Sure, hindsight is 20/20, and it was impossible for the Flyers to know that Patrick’s career almost instantly would be derailed by a migraine disorder, among other injuries. But the reality is that those two days changed the course of both organizations for better or, in the Flyers’ case, worse.

Why bring up these old skeletons now? Well, the Flyers might have a chance to rectify at least one of those costly missteps. With Dallas cap-strapped and looking to retool around Mikko Rantanen, multiple reports have indicated that Robertson, who is under contract for one more year at a $7.75 million salary-cap hit, is available on the trade block.

At the risk of sounding like every keyboard GM on Flyers Twitter demanding that general manager Danny Brière should trade for the latest star mentioned in a trade rumor, yes, the Flyers should strongly consider trading for Robertson, if he’s willing to sign an extension.

While I have written or posted about why Rantanen, Mitch Marner, Pettersson, and countless others wouldn’t have made or don’t make sense for the Flyers, I’m in on Robertson and here’s why.

First, Brière and the Flyers’ decision-makers have, at least publicly, declared that they are ready to transition into the next stage of their rebuild, or “from subtracting from the roster into trying to start to add and help the team.”

Second, the Flyers have compiled the necessary assets to make a big move for a star. The team has three first-rounders in the draft this month, four picks in the second round, three more firsts between 2026 and 2027, and a plethora of cost-effective young players who are either on the roster or will be pushing to make it as soon as next fall. Last but not least, Robertson, who turns 26 next month, is really good.

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How good? In 320 games over the last four seasons, Robertson ranks 14th in the NHL in goals (151) and points (348) and averages 38 goals and 87 points during that span. He tallied 35 goals and 80 points this past season, despite a slow start because of injury, and has already eclipsed the 40-goal plateau twice, including posting career highs with 46 goals and 109 points in 2022-23. For context, the Flyers haven’t had a 38-goal scorer since Jeff Carter in 2008-09, when Robertson was 9 years old.

Robertson, who isn’t a burner in terms of speed, is a cerebral goal scorer who finds soft spots on the ice and an efficient shooter (15.2% for his career) who gets to the front of the net with regularity. The left winger has elite play-driving, chance-creation, and finishing numbers (15% career shooter), and instantly would give the Flyers a go-to No. 1 option to pair with Travis Konecny and Matvei Michkov. With Robertson on the ice at five-on-five since 2022, Dallas has outscored its opponents, 199-134, and owns a 54.3% share of the shot attempts, 56.5% of the expected goals, and 58.6% of high-danger chances created, according to Natural Stat Trick.

The left winger also would be a welcome addition to one of the league’s worst power plays. He has averaged 27 points with the man advantage over the last four seasons, including his 41 in 2022-23, and scores the types of down-low goals the Flyers have lacked in recent years. The Flyers’ top power-play point producer over the last four seasons has tallied 17, 11, 19, and 12 points.

The 6-foot-3, 207-pound Robertson also quietly has been one of the league’s top defensive forwards. He led all NHL forwards in Evolving Hockey’s even-strength defensive goals above replacement model in 2023-24 and has twice finished in the top 20 in Selke Trophy voting.

So what would a player like Robertson cost the Flyers in a trade? While it’s hard to know the exact price, let’s assume that the Flyers will insist on holding onto the No. 6 pick to draft their No. 1 center of the future. They’d also likely try to pocket their Gavin McKenna lottery ticket for 2026.

» READ MORE: Who’ll join the Flyers with the No. 6 pick? Here are 8 options for Danny Brière and Co. in June’s draft.

Dallas reportedly is looking for cap space and to recoup some of the draft capital, including three first-round picks, it surrendered in the Rantanen and Mikael Granlund deals. That likely would mean the Flyers parting with picks No. 22, 31/32, and at least one of the team’s four seconds in what is considered a below-average draft.

To get the deal over the line, the Flyers also likely would need to include a roster player. Would the injured Rasmus Ristolainen, who has been linked with Dallas before and has two years of contract control remaining, still intrigue a Stars team looking to get bigger and stronger on the back end? Owen Tippett’s deal probably makes him a nonstarter for a team looking to free up money, but Cam York, Tyson Foerster, Bobby Brink, Oliver Bonk, and Jett Luchanko are young players or prospects on cheaper deals who have upside. The Flyers also have their 2027 first-rounder if Dallas just wants picks to try to package for a star.

Robertson, who is set to be a restricted free agent next summer and is eligible for a contract extension on July 1, likely is due an average annual value of $10 million to $12 million on his next deal. The left winger also notably held out for part of training camp while negotiating his current contract, so it would be imperative that the Flyers had the utmost confidence they could re-sign him at the time of making the trade.

But shouldn’t the Flyers hold on to their assets and cap space for a top-line center? While there is some merit to that, top-line players at any position don’t become available often in today’s NHL. It’s extremely unlikely that top 2026 free agents (Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, and Kirill Kaprizov) will get to market, and even if they do, those players would have to pick the Flyers over 31 other teams flush with money — many of which are more ready to win and in warm-weather cities with no state taxes — from a skyrocketing cap.

Robertson may not be a center, but the Flyers need to add star-level talent, regardless of position, and Robertson certainly checks that box. Acquiring a player of Robertson’s ilk heading into his prime, especially if they can do so without parting with their top two most valuable draft assets, should be a no-brainer. It also should help attract future talent to Philadelphia, particularly at center, since what center wouldn’t want to play with a perennial 40-goal scorer for the next seven or eight years?

It’s time to pick up the phone, Danny.