With Glen Gulutzan taking the reins as head coach, the Dallas Stars will have to make some adjustments throughout the 2025-26 campaign. What do the team’s key playmakers think about moving on from Pete DeBoer to Gulutzan?
Wyatt Johnston joined Sportsradio 96.7 FM/1310 The Ticket (KTCK-AM) on Wednesday to share his thoughts on DeBoer’s departure and what he thinks about adjusting to Gulutzan’s system. When asked about the team’s decision to move on from DeBoer, Johnston looked back at the impact the head coach had at the start of his NHL career.
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“I feel like he helped me a lot to grow as a player, as a teammate, as a leader. I wasn’t in those conversations with Jim Nill, but he’s obviously a really smart guy and he’s won a lot of awards for what he’s done as a general manager. He knows the game well. He knows our team better than anyone,” Johnston said. “It’s hard to say if I expected [DeBoer’s departure] because I really didn’t know what would happen. At the end of the day, I’m super excited to start working with Glen. I’ve heard some amazing things from players that played for him or know him.”
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Johnston added that he had a phone call with Gulutzan after he was hired to take over the Stars’ head coaching vacancy. Johnston, the Stars’ second-leading scorer in 2024-25 (33 goals), said he’s looking forward to working in Gulutzan’s system.
The young center also looked back at the Stars’ playoff exit earlier this year and how high expectations are for 2025-26. Johnston said no one in the organization is satisfied with making the Western Conference Finals three years in a row.
“We’re not playing to go to the Conference Finals and lose. We’re playing to win a Stanley Cup,” Johnston said. “At the end of the day, it’s really motivating, especially seeing the Finals and seeing Florida win two years in a row. You want that to be the Dallas Stars, so that’s very motivating to reflect on that.”
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