Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn, who is 35, is entering the last year of his contract and is surrounded by many young players.
Some of these young talents, like Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston, are high scorers who have reached the Western Conference Final for the past two seasons and could help Benn finally win the Stanley Cup.
The Stars are in a strong position, perhaps the best since Benn started his NHL career 15 years ago.
“Yeah, I think so,” Benn said. “We’ve got a great group of guys here, a lot of young kids that are ready to play right now and full of energy. I think we have all the pieces to do great things here.”
Benn is nearing the end of his $76 million, eight-year contract extension, and he is focusing on the current season. He didn’t want to discuss anything beyond this season when he talked with general manager Jim Nill during the offseason.
“He was very clear: ‘Jim, I just want to win this year and make decisions from there.’ He’s all about the team,” Nill said. “He’s the captain of the team. He’s made it very clear that it’s all about winning.”
Hall of Fame center Mike Modano is the only player in the franchise’s history with more than Benn’s 1,112 regular-season games, 383 goals, 907 points, 58 game-winning goals, and 2,905 shots.
Benn has also played in 102 postseason games, including the Stanley Cup Final that the Stars lost to Tampa Bay in six games at the end of the pandemic-altered 2019-20 season.
“My plan, as long as I’m the GM here, he’s going to be a Dallas Star. He’s earned that right,” Nill said. “He’s a little bit of a unicorn; not a lot of players left in the league like him. He’s a blend of the skills, the physicality, and the determination.”
Benn has participated in all 82 games for the past three regular seasons, and his average ice time has been intentionally reduced during that time.
This was part of a strategy under coach Pete DeBoer, who was hired two years ago and consistently uses all four lines. In his first season under coach DeBoer, Benn scored 33 goals and got 78 points, which are his best numbers since the 2017-18 season.
He also achieved a career-best plus-23 rating, even though his average ice time dropped to 15:47, the lowest since his rookie season in 2009-10. Last year, his ice time went down to 15:07, and he scored 21 goals and had 60 points.
“I feel pretty good,” Benn said. “The older you get, obviously the more you know your body and what you need, what you don’t need and things like that. I think we’ve all managed pretty well the last couple of years here.”
For some added energy, 25-year-old Robertson has been the leading scorer for the Stars for the past two seasons, averaging nearly 1.2 points per game.
The 21-year-old Johnston led the team with 32 goals last season, while Benn was one of eight players to score 20 goals. Robertson and Johnston are expected to play on the top line with Roope Hintz, who is 27 and entering his seventh season, averaging nearly 71 points over the last three years.
“Not only can I help them out throughout a long season, but they can help me too. They bring a lot of energy and I try to keep up,” Benn said. “And, you know, it’s looking like I’ll have two more young kids to play alongside this year, and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
In fact, two more rookies could have important roles this season.
Logan Stankoven is still considered a rookie even though he played 43 games, including 19 in the playoffs, after making his NHL debut in late February.
Mavrik Bourque, a first-round pick in 2020 who was the AHL MVP and leading scorer last season, played one regular-season game and one playoff game in the NHL.
Benn’s older brother, Jordie, is also back with the Stars as a player development assistant and AHL scout. He transitioned to the front office after 12 NHL seasons, having played his first 302 games as his brother’s teammate from 2012 to 2017.
“We can’t play this game forever, but taking the next step in his hockey journey and, you know, pretty cool to see him around the rink here,” Jamie Benn said. “I guess now with him being done, looking back, it’s pretty cool to play with each other and cool for our family. It was something we’ll never forget.”
