The Dallas Stars have Stanley Cup aspirations this season, and they have one of the best cores in the game of hockey to help them get there. They are led by one of the best first lines in the NHL, with three proven stars, an excellent defensive core, and a goaltender of the future in Jake Oettinger. All of the pieces are there.
That being said, the Stars haven't gotten off to a great start to the 2023-24 campaign. They're 1-0-1, which certainly isn't bad, but the squad has scored just three goals over that span. No player has more than one point following a 2-1 shootout win over the St. Louis Blues and 3-2 SO loss to the Vegas Golden Knights five nights later. They're one of just five teams who haven't played a third game, which will end on Thursday night in Anaheim (also the Ducks' third contest). It's only a matter of time before Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz get going, but there are a few other under-the-radar players who could be primed for impressive seasons in Texas.
Wyatt Johnston poised to build on standout rookie campaign
Wyatt Johnston was excellent in his rookie season with the Stars in 2022-23. The young Canadian was part of the 2020-21 Windsor Spitfires team that suffered a heartbreaking Game 7 loss to the Hamilton Bulldogs in the 2022 Ontario Hockey League final. Just 18-years-old at the time, Johnston did everything he could, scoring 41 points in 25 playoff contests for the powerhouse Spits. But Johnston looked like he belonged in the NHL with Dallas last season, scoring 24 goals and 41 points over a full 82-game slate. He also came up huge in the postseason, notably scoring an electric insurance goal to seal their second-round series against the Seattle Kraken in Game 7 of Round 2.
Johnston seems ready to take another step forward in his sophomore campaign. Through two games, he's picked up an assist while averaging over 18 minutes of time on ice per game. It's clear that Stars coach Pete DeBoer trusts this player despite his young age. Johnston has been lining up with Jamie Benn and Evgenii Dadonov on the third line; that's two very solid players considering it's at the bottom end of the top-nine. Benn enjoyed a resurgence with 78 points in 82 games last year, while Dadonov chipped in with 15 in 23 games, adding another 10 over 16 in the postseason.
Besides his talented linemates, Johnston is also a staple on the second powerplay unit that is one of the stronger in the NHL, also featuring Tyler Seguin, new addition Matt Duchene, Nils Lundkvist and Dadonov. The exposure to PP2 will also help the 20-year-old as he looks to exceed last season's offensive totals. With Hintz, Duchene/Seguin and now Johnston down the middle, the team's top-nine is well constructed for the present and future.
Thomas Harley ready for spotlight
The one glaring weakness Dallas still has is defensive depth. Although Miro Heiskanen is a superstar defenseman in all meanings of the word, Esa Lindell saw his form slip in 2022-23, while Ryan Suter continued to expectedly decline in his age-37 season. The team needs more fop-four talent, which could come in the form of a trade — or from Thomas Harley.
Harley spent most of last season with the American Hockey League's Texas Rangers, turning heads with his 10-goal, 34-point regular season in the minors. He joined the Stars for their final six regular-season games, recording two assists. But he excelled in the playoffs, making an excellent impact; he controlled 60.4 percent of five-on-five scoring chances, and quickly earned the trust of his coaching staff. He also picked up nine points in just 19 games and didn't look at all overmatched on the Stars' blueline.
The Syracuse native has picked right up where he left off in 2023-24. Harley is playing just shy of 20 minutes a night in the early going, and has already picked up his first point of the campaign. Although he's currently lining up with Jani Hakanpaa on the third pairing, there's potential for him to eventually leapfrog either Lindell or Lundkvist on the second pairing. That is also true of the second powerplay unit, which Lundkvist is currently manning.
Harley is a former No. 18 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, and he's developing at the perfect time for a Stars team looking to win their first Stanley Cup since 1999 next June. Dallas should promote Harley into the top four, and it's very likely that they will soon considering the direction of Lindell and Suters' respective abilities. With a 6-foot-3 frame and great skating and puck skills, he is quickly approaching breakout territory in 2023-24.
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