Mavrik Bourque has become a name to watch this summer because the Dallas Stars may not be able to keep him if they also keep Jason Robertson. The restricted free agent, a former first-round pick, is coming off a 41-point season, and that makes him far more than a depth piece in a cap-strapped market.
That is why the Montreal Canadiens are being linked to him now. Montreal is still searching for an answer at center behind Nick Suzuki, and Bourque fits the kind of young, productive player that can change a lineup without a long wait. He is coming off his second full NHL season with the Dallas Stars, when he finished with 41 points and 20 goals after putting up 25 points and 11 goals as a rookie.
The path to any move is narrow. Because the Canadiens do not have their 2027 third-round pick, they can only extend offer sheets with an AAV over $11.94 million or under $4.775 million because of draft-pick compensation. A contract with an AAV of $4,775,665 would be possible for Montreal, but it is hard to imagine the Dallas Stars would not match that number. That is the key reason Bourque remains more likely to move through a trade than an offer sheet.
Dallas is in a holding pattern until there is some resolution with Jason Robertson. If the Dallas Stars keep Robertson, they will not have the cap space to sign Bourque. If they lose Robertson, they would likely want to re-sign Bourque. That is where Montreal comes back into the picture, because a trade with the Canadiens could make sense only if Dallas decides it cannot fit both players under the cap.
Friedman put the matter plainly this summer when he said Bourque might be a candidate for an offer sheet. That possibility exists because Bourque is restricted, not unrestricted, so another club has to work through compensation rules or trade logic to get him. The cap math may decide it before Montreal ever gets a chance to test Dallas' resolve.
If the Stars keep Robertson, Bourque becomes the sort of player another team can circle and hope is available, but not the sort of player Dallas is likely to let go cheaply. If Robertson leaves, the conversation changes again, and Bourque may simply be part of Dallas' own next step.
