Stars come to terms with Wyatt Johnston on 5-year extension the same day they get Mikko Rantanen
FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Stars came to terms on a five-year contract extension for 21-year-old center Wyatt Johnston on Friday, the same day they made the biggest deal at the NHL’s trade deadline with the acquisition of Mikko Rantanen.
Johnston’s deal was overshadowed by the Stars getting Rantanen from the Carolina Hurricanes and signing him to a $96 million, eight-year contract extension, but keeping the young center once mentored by Joe Pavelski is also a significant move for Dallas.
General manager Jim Nill, without revealing financial terms for Johnston when talking with reporters after the trade deadline, said it was the right time to reveal the extension that had been in the works since early this season. Johnston could have become a restricted free agent on July 1.
“We just thought this was maybe the perfect time to bring it together,” Nill said. “We’re adding a major piece, Wyatt’s a big part of our team and we wanted to make sure that he could fit into the right slot also. So it was just the right time for it all.”
Multiple reports put the value of Johnston’s extension at $42 million, or $8.4 million annually through the 2029-30 season. Rantanen and Johnston have the same representatives.
Johnston has played in every Stars game since his debut in the 2022-23 opener — 226 regular-season games and 38 more in the playoffs. He was their top goal scorer last season and has 165 points (79 goals, 86 assists) in the regular season, plus 14 goals and eight assists while Dallas made it to the Western Conference Final in each of his first two seasons.
His third career hat trick last Sunday against St. Louis is part of an eight-game points streak during which Johnston has eight goals and six assists. He has 59 points (23 goals, 36 assists) in 62 games this season.
Dallas Stars center Wyatt Johnston skates against the New Jersey Devils during the third period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, March 4, 2025, in Dallas. Credit: AP/Julio Cortez
This is the first NHL season Johnston is living on his own. He live with Pavelski and his family during his first two seasons before the 18-season veteran retired last summer just short of his 40th birthday.
Source link
