There's no surprise that Wyatt Johnston has evolved since his nine-game tryout when Pete DeBoer was here. He's been one of the biggest surprises in the league in the last five seasons. He has been grooving on the top line this season, and it's helped take his game to the next level. It's to the point that we start discussing that his contract could be the biggest bargain in the league at the end of it. Here's more about his short five-year deal that will age like fine wine.
Wyatt Johnston Bargain: His current contract
Wyatt Johnston signed a five-year extension worth $8.4 million a season. You would think that Johnston would go all in and sign for eight, but that's not the case with him. He's going to cash in once the salary cap increases over the next three years. So if you think about it, he's going to "double-dip" to maximize his earnings during his career. His agent was smart to present him with that projection because he's going to be a wealthy player.
Wyatt Johnston Bargain: Why is it suspected to be a bargain?
If you look at some of the other young forwards across the league, they are signing for around $7-8 million a season. Johnston is making about the same as the young superstars in this league. Johnston is projected to earn more than the superstars, as he's effectively double-dipping with the salary cap increase. In 21 games this season, he has 11 goals and 10 assists. With his current scoring rate, he's going to have a season like Jason Robertson did a couple of seasons ago. That's more than you could say about some of the players in this league.
Wyatt Johnston Bargain: Conclusion
Dallas Stars Reporters have said that Miro Heiskanen has the best contract on the team. That will probably not be the case by the time Johnston's deal is done. He's just entering his prime and is expected to continue to dominate the league. If he continues on the path he's on now, you can expect Johnston to have 2-3 more seasons like this on his current contract. I took a couple out just in case he has a slight decline one year due to an injury. However, his production is going; his contract looks like a massive bargain.
Johnston could add another couple of goals against the Flyers later tonight. Let's not worry about his next contract right now. Let's enjoy him being a 22-year-old phenom dominating opponents that passed on him in the draft. It's their fault they didn't take a gamble on him in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft. Now that he's in the league and is about to begin his prime, teams are going to regret passing on one of the biggest steals in Jim Nill's tenure as the Stars' General Manager.