Stars' Unbeaten Streak Ends, But There's Still Lots To Like -- Including Up-And-Coming Youngster Johnston

The Dallas Stars' season-opening hot streak ended Thursday, with a 3-2 loss to Washington. But Adam Proteau says there's still many positives for Dallas -- including the contributions of youngster Wyatt Johnston.

The Stars' four-game unbeaten streak to start the 2024-25 regular-season ended Thursday night in Washington, as the Capitals rallied for a 3-2 win over Dallas. Thus endeth the dream goal of an 82-0-0 year. But if you were a Stars fan watching the game, you had to be happy to see yet another strong game from up-and-comer center Wyatt Johnston.

Indeed, the 21-year-old Johnston kept his point streak alive Thursday, chipping in his fourth assist and fifth point of the season in the losing cause. Johnston now has one point in all of the five games he's played this season, and that point-per-game pace feels like the proper next step in Johnston's third NHL season. He doesn't have to be Connor McDavid or Nikita Kucherov in the points department. All he needs to do is be dependable, take advantage of the increasing opportunities in front of him, and deliver above-average results.

This is why Stars coach Pete DeBoer is more than happy to hand Johnston big-time minutes. Through Dallas' first five games, Johnston has been the forward with the highest time-on-ice average -- 19:52 per game, nearly three full minutes more than he averaged last season, and more than four-and-a-half minutes more than he averaged in his rookie season of 2022-23. That's what you call ideal progress.

Johnston will be a restricted free agent next summer, and you'd better believe Stars GM Jim Nill will make it a priority to give Johnston a massive increase on his current $894,167 salary. Nill has shown himself to be a productive negotiator, signing key components including Esa Lindell and Jake Oettinger to lengthy extensions. Nill now has to try to get Johnston locked in for as long as possible, and sell him on accepting a little bit less than market value if it means being part of a special core of Stars players.

Johnston has already earned the respect of his peers and his coaches. Consistency is the name of the game for him now, but you won't find many hockey observers who'd tell you Johnston isn't going to be just as good, if not considerably better, when he settles into his prime quite some time from now. The opposite is true. The Stars are built on great drafting and development, and Johnston is Exhibit A in their current success.

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