Wyatt Johnston

The Hockey News has Jake Oettinger at 51 and Wyatt Johnston at 53, which is the kind of ranking that always starts a quiet argument in an NHL front office. Stars fans know both players matter in very different ways, and these lists tend to say as much about leaguewide perception as they do about actual value. Oettinger’s position says the market still debates elite goaltending, while Johnston’s spot shows how hard it is for young core players to break through in crowded rankings.

When a coach gets dismissed, the follow-up always tells you how ambitious the next move will be. Johnston is digging into Berube’s departure and the scope of the search, and “wide” is usually front-office code for nobody being safe from the list. The next hire matters because it will shape more than just systems; it will define the tone in the room from day one.