One of the great things about the Dallas Stars organization is its willingness to bring up players from Cedar Park when they are ready for the NHL. Players like Jason Robertson, Thomas Harley, and Roope Hintz are just some of the players who have gone through the AHL to make it to the NHL. Other players like Wyatt Johnston immediately went right to the NHL after having an impressive nine-game tryout. It just goes to show that the Stars are in for a great future if they continue to draft and develop prospects.
Now that players like Wyatt Johnston and others have gained experience playing in the NHL, it's time for them to take the next step and become leaders of the organization. With veterans like Mikael Granlund and Mason Marchment leaving the organization, it's time for the younglings to fill their spots in the lineup and be the ones who dominate the pace of play. With the new contract Johnston signed at the trade deadline last season, he's one of the players who's going to have to step up and be a leader for this team.
The same thing goes for Jason Robertson and Thomas Harley. If they want long-term contract extensions to remain with the Stars' organization, they have to take the next step, too. I wouldn't mind the Stars paying either player a large amount of money if they take the next step and bring it every night, regardless of where the Stars play. Robertson has to find his dominating postseason play if the Stars want him to pay him near what he's asking. The extension won't happen unless he becomes a postseason threat when the Stars make the playoffs.
If the Stars' young players take the next step in their careers and help the Stars back to the Western Conference Finals, I would be scared of whoever comes out of the Eastern Conference. If those young players find the next level of their game, the entire NHL better watch out because the Stars are going to be a force to be reckoned with for the next five to eight seasons. That's how close the Stars are to becoming the next Florida Panthers-like team. All it takes is for the young players to take that next step in their careers.
It will be interesting to see if the young players can take that next step since Glen Gulutzan is the new head coach of the Dallas Stars. He will have a completely different system than what Pete DeBoer ran here the last three seasons. I'm sure that Gulutzan will work with them during training camp to make sure they are all on the same page. All it takes is a spark to get things going, and that spark for the Stars is the young players taking that next step in their careers.