I'm sure most of you are about to get angry with me and are thinking, "Why is Brian defending Glen Gulutzan again? I'm not defending the hiring of him in this article. I'm going to talk about all the talent that he's inherited since returning to the Stars' organization. Many of you remember his first stint with the Stars when he had a very rough roster to work with. Well, he's back again, and this time, he's got so much talent that he doesn't have much wiggle room to complain.
Gulutzan has a lot of talent waiting in the wings in Cedar Park and actually on the Stars' roster. He also has a GM willing to win and spend the money to keep the talent happy and around the organization. I'm sure Gulutzan would love to have Jason Robertson and Thomas Harley locked down with new extensions, but he knows the game of negotiating. Currently, Robertson and Harley will be back this upcoming season as they work out their new contracts with Jim Nill.
Let's not forget the major talent that the Stars acquired at the trade deadline last season. Mikko Rantanen is set to begin his new contract and will be Gulutzan's Connor McDavid in Texas. I'm sure Gulutzan plans to sit down with Rantanen to find a common offense that works for both of them. Trust me, Gulutzan is going to do everything in his power to make sure that Rantanen is the focal point in his offense. I wouldn't be surprised if Rantanen is front and center on the top line next season.
Let's not forget Wyatt Johnston and Jake Oettinger that Gulutzan inherits. Oettinger is one of the best goaltenders in the league, and I'm sure Gulutzan is happy that Oettinger is on his side of the ice right now. Oettinger is laser-focused on bringing the Stanley Cup to Dallas, so I'm sure that Oettinger will do everything in his power to help Gulutzan bring home the Stanley Cup. Wyatt Johnston is another great player that Glen is inheriting since coming to Dallas.
Johnston is one of the best young centers in the league and just signed a five-year extension to remain in Dallas. Johnston might be the center if he joins the top line along with Rantanen next year. He's just another example of the talent that Gulutzan will have to work with since rejoining the Stars' organization this summer. The Stars are locked and loaded for the upcoming season. Everybody will be watching how Gulutzan uses the talent that he inherited since the last time he coached here.