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The Dallas Stars became back-to-back Western Conference finalists in 2023 and 2024. Young forwards Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston were key factors behind their club’s success.
Robertson, 25, quickly rose among the Stars’ leading scorers since his rookie debut in 2020-21, becoming a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy. Between that season and 2023-24, the skilled winger was their leading scorer with 133 goals, 180 assists, and 313 points.
Johnston joined the Stars in 2022-23 and became one of their core players over the past two seasons. He netted 24 goals and 41 points during his rookie campaign and tallied 32 goals and 65 points in his sophomore season.
The two first-line forwards underperformed during the opening weeks of the season. Robertson had five goals and 11 points through his first 18 games while the 23-year-old Johnston had nine points over the same period.
Both players had good reason for their early-season slumps. Robertson missed all of training camp recovering from offseason foot surgery while Johnston missed most of training camp with an injury.