The Dallas Stars remain one of the most dangerous teams in the Western Conference thanks to their usual standouts, Mikko Rantanen and Wyatt Johnston, who rank among the club’s leading scorers.
One of the most offensively gifted players in the NHL, Rantanen is on pace for another elite season, having already recorded 11 goals and 23 assists, a full-season pace of 33 goals and 70 assists.
He has spent most of his time playing alongside Johnston, whose right-handed shot complements Rantanen’s left-handed release. Rantanen, who spent much of last season playing with two left-handed linemates after arriving in Dallas in March, noted the difference in skating with a right-handed player like Johnston, similar to his experience alongside Nathan MacKinnon with the Colorado Avalanche.
“Obviously, last year I had a lot of success with playing with [Roope] Hintz and [Mikael] Granlund. Those are two lefties, so it's not end of the world,” Rantanen said via ESPN. “But playing a lot with Nate in the past as a righty, it's more common for me to make plays and stuff. [Johnston] is a really good player. He can score goals. We find each other pretty well. Obviously, it takes some time. We haven't played that long together, so we can still get better, but it's going in a good direction.”
Rantanen, Johnston, and the Stars will next face the New Jersey Devils on November 3 at Prudential Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.
The Stars will need Mikko Rantanen and Wyatt Johnston to step up
The Stars were dealt an unfortunate injury, as the club has confirmed that forward Tyler Seguin could potentially miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season after he suffered an ACL injury during Tuesday evening's game against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
Prior to his injury, Seguin, one of the longest-tenured members of the Stars, had scored seven goals with 10 assists in 27 games.
Because of Seguin's absence for potentially the remainder of the campaign, the Stars will be looking to players like Rantanen and Johnston to continue leading the club toward their goal of winning the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1999.
