The Dallas Stars have gotten key contributions from several players during their run to the Western Conference Final, but no one is turning heads quite like rookie center Wyatt Johnston.

Johnston impressed during the regular season with with 24 goals and recently introduced himself on the biggest stage with a showstopping game-winning tally against the Seattle Kraken in Game 7.

"Special hockey mind," head coach Pete DeBoer told The Athletic's Saad Yousuf. "He just gets it. ... We've done very little individual video with him because it always seems like he's put himself in the right spot on the ice and the right spot within our system. He's special that way."

Johnston was the 23rd overall pick in 2021. He missed an entire season of junior hockey due to the pandemic and wasn't projected to make Dallas' roster out of training camp last fall.

"I had no expectations," DeBoer said. "I haven't had a player that young step into the lineup and contribute at this level in my 15 years in the league. Really not anyone even close to being ready to do that. My expectations were small. It was, 'Let's give him a look and set him up to try to have success in training camp and see how long it lasts.' And he took that, and here we are today."

Johnston has registered four goals and two assists in 13 playoff contests and has seen his ice time jump to 17:14 per game from 15:29 in the regular season. He's anchoring a line with veterans Jamie Benn and Evgenii Dadonov and has drawn rave reviews from Dallas' captain.

"His mindset coming into training camp was that he was going to earn a spot on this team and not be denied," Benn said. "You could kind of tell right from Day 1 that this kid was pretty focused, pretty dialed in, knew that if he worked hard and played with his confidence and played the way he knew he could, he would be here. That's exactly what he did."

Johnston and the Stars will begin their conference final against the Golden Knights on Friday night in Vegas.

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Now that the NHL's conference final pairings are set, it's time to ponder the possible Stanley Cup Final showdowns they could yield.

Before we get there, we do have some compelling storylines in the upcoming round. For example, both series feature a head coach facing one of their former teams. Dallas Stars bench boss Peter DeBoer is going up against the Vegas Golden Knights, who he led from 2019-20 to 2021-22.

Meanwhile, Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice faces the Carolina Hurricanes, who he guided for parts of 11 seasons over two separate stints, along with a pair of campaigns with their initial incarnation, the Hartford Whalers.

While that won't be a factor once we get to the Cup Final, there should still be plenty of narratives in the decisive series. Each remaining club has top-end talent and has been captivating to watch for one reason or another.

Here's how we rate the four potential scenarios:

4. Stars vs. Panthers

This would be the least appealing simply because it involves the two worst teams of the four. The Stars finished second in the Central Division at 47-21-14, while the Panthers snuck in with the second Eastern Conference wild-card berth and placed fourth in the Atlantic at 42-32-8.

Florida pulled off two monumental feats in getting to this point by dispatching the record-setting Boston Bruins in seven games and eliminating the Toronto Maple Leafs in five. Would it be fun to see if the lowest seed in a conference can win the Cup for the first time since the Los Angeles Kings in 2012? Sure. The Panthers are true underdogs (undercats?), and they've been a great story this spring. But this matchup as a whole doesn't elicit as much excitement as the others.

The Stars do have their share of skill. They boast the electric Jason Robertson, the current leader in the Conn Smythe Trophy race in Roope Hintz, rookie sensation Wyatt Johnston, and the ageless Joe Pavelski, who'll turn 39 in July. Pavelski is looking to win the Cup for the first time, but he's been terrific this season. So while his pursuit of that elusive championship is a storyline, this may not be the veteran forward's last dance.

3. Panthers vs. Golden Knights

No matter who prevails in Round 3, the Cup Final will feature two teams from so-called "untraditional" hockey markets. Of course, that term has lost meaning now that the Stars, Hurricanes, and several other southern-based and/or western-situated squads have won titles.

However, the fact remains that neither the Golden Knights nor the Panthers have ever hoisted Lord Stanley's mug, so this pairing would guarantee a first-time champion. Both Florida and Vegas have been right on the doorstep, reaching the final in 1996 and 2018, respectively. The Colorado Avalanche swept the Panthers in Florida's third season in the league, while the Washington Capitals took care of the Golden Knights in five games in Vegas' inaugural campaign.

There are other reasons this could be a watchable series. For example, the Panthers and Golden Knights both have ultra-versatile, two-way wizards in the forms of Matthew Tkachuk and Mark Stone. It could be enjoyable to watch them battle in the corner. But the on-ice product as a whole won't be quite as fun as the two other possibilities.

2. Golden Knights vs. Hurricanes

On paper, this is the best possible matchup as it features two top seeds. But the games aren't played on paper. The Golden Knights won the Pacific, but that's the NHL's worst division. Vegas got three more points than Dallas during the regular season, but the Stars' plus-67 goal differential ranked second in the league, while their hypothetical opponents here sat ninth at plus-43.

The Golden Knights are also an average possession team, having ranked 16th in five-on-five xGF% during the regular season. That being said, Jack Eichel's stellar play in his first crack at the playoffs has been a delight, and Vegas remains a talented group blessed with depth almost everywhere. It's a shame injured Hurricanes forward Max Pacioretty won't be able to take part in this potential final against his old squad, but there would be a lot to like about the scenario nonetheless.

Carolina goaltender Frederik Andersen and Golden Knights netminder Adin Hill have both been dominant in these playoffs. Andersen is excelling after overcoming numerous past injuries, and Hill has stepped in admirably amid ailments sustained by his partners in the Vegas crease.

1. Hurricanes vs. Stars

This one's the most appealing for several reasons. Firstly, Carolina led the NHL in expected goals for percentage at five-on-five during the regular season, and Dallas is on top in that category so far in this postseason. These are two superb possession teams, and that combination of play-driving squads makes this possibility slightly more tantalizing than the Hurricanes' alternative.

Sebastian Aho and his teammates are also looking to win it all without (and for) Andrei Svechnikov, whose campaign ended in March due to a torn ACL. Svech's absence has taken some oomph out of the Carolina offense, but it's also made the team even more of a sentimental favorite. The Hurricanes and Stars are both elite defensive teams, too. While that could hurt the ratings, it would add to the recipe for what would be the best Cup Final outcome.

(Analytics source: Natural Stat Trick)

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Leon Draisaitl scored just shy of a million goals in Round 1, and our theory that Connor McDavid was the only Oiler worth betting for the Conn Smythe Trophy looked like it might have some flaws. Then another round went by and McDavid reeled in his teammate. The problem for McDavid's playoff MVP candidacy? The whole "not getting out of the second round" thing.

While the Oilers duo is no longer under consideration, it exemplifies the importance of allowing for a bigger sample size. Things can change in one series. While McDavid and Draisaitl are among the 75% of playoff participants that have been eliminated, eventual Conn Smythe resumes are only halfway built - and with memories being as short as they are, the most important half is yet to come.

Conn Smythe Trophy odds

Jack Eichel and Sebastian Aho replace McDavid as Conn Smythe co-favorites, representing the leading scorers on each of the slight favorites in their respective conference finals. However, Eichel's 14 points don't put him far enough ahead of double-digit-scoring teammates Mark Stone, Jonathan Marchessault, and Chandler Stephenson, while Aho has just 10 points through two rounds.

We had to wave goodbye to McDavid, but we're still holding out hope for one of Jake Oettinger, Jason Robertson, or Miro Heiskanen from before the playoffs. Oettinger will have to break a recent habit of getting pulled in order to be the Stars' MVP, but the best goaltender left in the tournament still available at 16-1 isn't bad if you haven't bought a ticket on him yet. Robertson, meanwhile, is seven points back of Roope Hintz for the Stars' leading scorer, but he could make up that gap with a few timely goals.

Most interestingly, the Stars' actual MVP is still 40-1. It's been easy to lose focus on Dallas in the early rounds with late start times and other games on, but anyone paying attention knows that Heiskanen has been the best player on the ice for almost every one of his postseason-high 28 minutes per game. He may need to score to garner more attention from voters, but hopefully those responsible for crowning the playoff's most valuable player are capable of recognizing actual value.

We've seen improved equity on Matthew Tkachuk since the Panthers upset the Maple Leafs. However, with the Golden Knights and Hurricanes just as likely to advance, it's time to add a player from each squad to our portfolio in case they do.

None of the forwards for Carolina and Vegas have stood out, and if that continues to be the case, a defender could improve his chances in the next four weeks, especially playing in front of sketchy goaltending. Brent Burns (+2500) and Alex Pietrangelo (+10000) should find themselves among the top two or three candidates on their own team should they get to the Stanley Cup Final.

Position of Conn Smythe Winner odds

*Odds from theScore Bet

Unlike those Oilers stars, or other headliners from the past, the four remaining teams' scorers aren't separating themselves from their teammates. Meanwhile, even in series victories, goaltenders are getting pulled at an alarming rate. Whether it's individually or as a group, defensemen are being undervalued relative to what they're providing their teams, with a prime contender on each of the remaining clubs. At 10-1, you can throw a blanket on Heiskanen, Burns, Pietrangelo, Brandon Montour, or any dark-horse contender to follow in the footsteps of Cale Makar and Victor Hedman - Conn Smythe-winning defensemen in two of the last three playoffs.

Matt Russell is the lead betting analyst for theScore. If there's a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on Twitter @mrussauthentic.

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Ken Holland will honor the final year of his contract as president of hockey operations and general manager of the Edmonton Oilers.

"I've got a year to go on my contract. For me, it's unfinished business," Holland told reporters Wednesday, according to Sportsnet. "I plan to honor my contract."

But after 2023-24, it's up in the air. The veteran executive used an unusual analogy to hint that his time running the club is winding down.

"Beyond that, at this stage in my life, I don't invest in green bananas," he said. "I'm not sure if I'm going to be around long enough to see them ripen to be yellow."

Holland is 67 years old and just completed his fourth season running the Oilers. He previously served as executive vice president of hockey operations and GM of the Detroit Red Wings from 1997-2019, overseeing three Stanley Cups while in charge. He was part of another championship as assistant GM.

"The last time that I was the general manager of a Stanley Cup championship team was 2008. That's a player's lifetime. That's 16 years ago. I would love to do that one more time," Holland said. "I think we've got a group of players and a team that it can happen. But it doesn't just happen."

The Oilers fell in Round 2 to the Vegas Golden Knights in six games even though many pundits picked them as a Stanley Cup favorite with the likes of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl leading the way.

"Massively, massively, massively disappointed that we didn't go farther," Holland said. "But I also have a total respect for Vegas. They beat us."

Despite the devastation, Holland believes the Oilers' future remains bright.

"I've been around the National Hockey League a long time. I know how hard it is to win, and they won, and we didn't," he said. "But I also know that we've got, in my opinion, a hell of a hockey team. Most of those players in that locker room are in the prime of their career, so it's not like we're going away."

Holland dealt his 2023 first-round pick at the trade deadline for defenseman Mattias Ekholm, who's under contract for three more seasons. It marked the first time in Holland's Oilers tenure that he traded away a first-rounder, signaling the time to win is now.

Edmonton hasn't won a Stanley Cup since 1990.

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The Arizona Coyotes appear to be staying put for the 2023-24 campaign despite rampant relocation speculation following their failed bid for a new arena in Tempe.

"I don't envision a scenario in which the Coyotes are not playing in Mullett Arena next season," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly wrote in an email to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski.

Coyotes president and CEO Xavier Gutierrez also said the team won't move this offseason.

Tempe residents voted Tuesday against a plan to build a $2.1-billion entertainment district featuring a new arena for the team.

The organization and the NHL both expressed disappointment over the result, with commissioner Gary Bettman saying the league will "review with the Coyotes what the options might be going forward."

The Coyotes moved into Mullett Arena, a 4,600-seat venue shared with Arizona State's collegiate hockey program, this past season and have two years left on that agreement. It's the team's third home arena since moving to Arizona from Winnipeg in 1996.

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Lindy Ruff isn't going anywhere.

New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald confirmed the veteran bench boss will return as the team's head coach next season.

"I've always said that Lindy Ruff was the right coach for this group," Fitzgerald said Wednesday, per team reporter Amanda Stein. "So here we are today. He's still the right coach for this group, he's earned that right. He deserves that, we deserve him to be quite honest."

Fitzgerald added: "Those kids love him."

Ruff's contract expires June 30, but he's already in the midst of negotiating a new deal, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

The veteran bench boss guided the Devils to their first postseason appearance since 2018 with a 52-22-8 record. New Jersey defeated the rival New York Rangers in Round 1, marking the team's first playoff series win since they went to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012. They fell in five games to the Carolina Hurricanes in Round 2.

Ruff was named one of three finalists for the Jack Adams Award, given to the coach of the year, for his efforts. He won the award previously in 2006 with the Buffalo Sabres.

The 63-year-old owns a 98-98-24 record in three seasons with the Devils. He ranks fifth on the NHL's all-time coaching wins list with 834 career victories.

Signing Ruff to a new deal will just be the first order of business for Fitzgerald. He has lots on his plate this offseason, including new deals for restricted free-agent forwards Jesper Bratt and prized trade deadline pickup Timo Meier.

Fitzgerald is optimistic a deal will get done with Bratt.

"We paused the talks prior to the playoffs which I think was the right thing to do," Fitzgerald said regarding Bratt. "There's definitely progression for sure. There's framework for a deal long-term if Jesper wants that. Jesper knows exactly what that framework looks like. I know Jesper wants to be a Devil long-term and so do we."

The GM has already reached out to Meier's agent about an extension.

"Meier knows that I believe this is the right place for Timo," Fitzgerald said. "He and his agent and I will talk and go through this and hopefully figure something out long-term."

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