Central Notes: Robertson, Wild, Ott

With a big contract negotiation on the horizon this summer, Stars winger Jason Robertson has switched agents.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link) that Robertson (and his brother Nicholas Robertson) are now being represented by Octagon’s Andy Scott; they had both been previously repped by CAA’s Pat Brisson.  The winger has 56 points in 49 games with Dallas this season, putting him on track to hit the 80-point mark for the fourth straight season.  He’s owed a qualifying offer of $9.3MM with arbitration rights in late June but will likely make a few million more per season than that.  Notably, Scott also represents Mikko Rantanen, Wyatt Johnston, and Thomas Harley, all of whom have signed long-term deals with the Stars within the last year.

More from the Central Division:

• After moving out a young center as part of the return for Quinn Hughes, it appears the Wild are keeping tabs on another young middleman. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that Minnesota is a team that’s believed to have some interest in Hurricanes center Jesperi Kotkaniemi, though he’s not viewed as their top choice to add down the middle.  Kotkaniemi is believed to be getting shopped by the team, recognizing that he needs a change of scenery after recording just seven points in 29 games so far this season.  However, the 25-year-old still has four years left on his deal after this one with a $4.82MM cap charge, a price tag the Wild can’t afford at the moment.
• The Blues have made a coaching change with their AHL affiliate in Springfield. The team announced that Steve Ott will take over as head coach with the Thunderbirds, replacing Steve Konowalchuk, who has been let go.  This will be Ott’s first time as head coach after serving as an assistant or associate coach in St. Louis since 2017.  He has been a speculative head coaching target over the past couple of offseasons and some experience running a bench might help give him a boost for future vacancies.  Konowalchuk, meanwhile, departs with a 47-50-12 record over parts of two seasons with the Thunderbirds.