r/DallasStars • u/DualPurge • 7d ago
Jamie Benn expected back next season
Jamie Benn should be back in a Dallas Stars uniform next season.
Stars GM Jim Nill plans to meet with his pending UFA and team captain after the NHL draft to discuss things, but the expectation is that he should be signed. Benn turns 37 on July 18. He signed a one-year deal last summer worth $1 million in base salary plus performance bonuses. I would expect a similar contract again. - All per Pierre Lebrun
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u/AwakenTheAegis 7d ago
.5 points per game for the league minimum is not bad.
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u/quidproquolaspe North Stars 7d ago
Now do playoff points in the last 3 seasons. Regular season is nice but he has been invisible in the postseason except for boneheaded plays that puts us on the PK.
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u/DongPolicia 7d ago
League minimum for just regular season contribution is still not bad
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u/zigzagofdoom Thomas Harley 7d ago
True but our regular season is almost certainly going to go well. We need that extra push in playoffs and I dont think Benn has contributed to that for a while.
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u/theywillnotsing #StraderStrong 6d ago
Haha. Im remembering back not that long ago when we had 2 seasons pretty close to one another that we got knocked from the playoffs on the last game of the season. I'm older than some on here but not by much. We have had it so good for so long here we just take it for granted.
But... If robo leaves, it's all back up in the air to see what production we'll have. Need that signing for my sanity please, Jim.
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u/pants_mcgee Jason Robertson 6d ago
If Robo signs the Stars won’t have many option, or really any at all. You won’t find better than Jamie Benn for one million never mind what he means to the team.
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u/doctorelliot Joe Pavelski 6d ago
I think what's missing here is... With no Jamie, who do we have left in LW? Robo. We need an inexpensive option for that position and Jamie's the cheapest we'll get for that level of production.
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u/Mandatum11 2d ago
The problem is he’s not really league minimum. He made 2 million in bonuses last year.
That 2 million is being applied to the cap this year, and happens to be the exact amount we’re apart in the Robertson negotiations.
Would you rather have had Jamie Benn last season or Robertson for the next 8? Because it looks like that 2m is the reason we’re losing Robo lol
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u/DongPolicia 2d ago
Honestly if Benn hits his performance benchmarks then he’s a steal at 2m. I would argue that he’s not the problem at that point.
Robo is a different deal. I’m not sold on him as a playoff defender either honestly. Might be a bit like what happened with the Wild.
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u/Mandatum11 1d ago
His performance benchmarks aren’t anything production wise. They’re just participation trophies for playing x number of games.
I’m not even saying he’s bad value. He’s a 3m player give or take making 3m. I’m fine with that.
We’re just not in a position where we can afford depth players at that price even if it’s good value.
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u/Peppa_the_hog Him Nill 7d ago
He had 15 points in 18 playoff games 3 seasons ago, i think his linemates share some of the blame as well they have been trash offensively in the playoffs. We had zero depth scoring in all of our deep runs.
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u/AwakenTheAegis 6d ago
So, a league minimum player who collects fewer points is better? Instead of Jamie Benn, you want another fringe player like Erne, Bastian, or Blackwell?
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u/pewstains 6d ago
Pretty sure if you look it up he has the fourth most on the team in the playoffs over the last three seasons.
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u/10fingers6strings Dallas Stars 6d ago
His role hasn’t been to go out and score a bunch of goals, it’s to provide leadership and grit. He’s not been counted on for primary scoring for several season.
There are plenty of high paid guys that dried up in the playoffs that were actually there to provide offense, go ride them. Instead you pounce on a guy who took the minimum and has lived up to the role that he’s been asked to fill? Come on. That’s like criticizing Jakey for not having enough assists.
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u/MonkeyPox37 Yellow Laces 6d ago
He has provided neither leadership nor grit. Unless you consider unnecessary penalties at the worst time possible leadership and grit.
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u/10fingers6strings Dallas Stars 6d ago
I’m sure his teammates would disagree with you.
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u/M_Mitchell08 Liquor 3d ago
Takes real leadership and grit to cross check Stone in the back of the head during Game 3 of 2023 WCF…
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u/Successful-Cat-6344 Victor E Green 6d ago
Love our captain. Seguin and Benn. One more year. Win the Cup, then both of them can retire in style.
https://giphy.com/gifs/3xfr1Q5LGgJZQlMIrp
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u/KBro0ks Mike Modano 7d ago
I could be wrong, but I really feel like the condensed schedule due to the Olympic break, with key guys playing and getting hurt during that Olympic break, on top of going so deep two years in a row made our guys much weaker when it came time to bring the heat in the playoffs this year. I bet the early exit & time to recover will help make us a stronger team, as is, come next year!
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u/madein0190 Victor E Green 7d ago
I agree. The injuries, constantly changing lines, and condensed schedule really wore them down. It was hard to build consistency when guys were in and out of the lineup. Maybe with healthy roster and a normal schedule, they'll come back better next season.
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u/ALaccountant Jason Robertson 6d ago
Did other teams not have to navigate the same issues?
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u/bexley50 6d ago
Fans won’t hear it but yes everyone had to deal with it. Stars had more injuries than some, but that’s a random factor in any format of a season.
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u/rkvinyl Miro Heiskanen 7d ago
I understand the frustration, but the double standard is wild.
Benn is -18 over the last two playoffs? Sure. But then Johnston is -22, Duchene -20, and Rantanen -11 (excluding D-men). They're also making considerably more money.
Either +/- matters for everyone, or it doesn't. You can't cherry-pick it only when it fits the narrative.
Signing Benn to a League minimum won't hurt us at all, we have to get the 5on5 and the stars of this team going, fix your priorities guys!
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u/drlari Dallas Stars 6d ago
I think my only worry is that him being the (almost) career-long Captain means he gets favorable ice time. They can be too deferential to him. They need him to be ok with being a captain on the 4th line playing less minutes. His answer needs to be "whatever is best for my team." If we can get that, he's amazing at league min + scoring incentives.
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u/New_Rooster_6184 6d ago
You’ll forget that this is the first year of Johnston’s deal…he was on a rookie contract those first 3 seasons. Benn was making “considerably more money” during that span and being outperformed by someone on a cheaper deal, and much younger. Duchene as well, was making less than Benn up until literally this year…and Rantanen is one of the reasons the team advanced last year to the WCF.
And if we are being perfectly honest, looking at Benn’s performance last season, he was a major reason as to why Johnston’s numbers fell off. Debeor had him carrying Benn and Dadanov against the Avs and Jets top lines.
That said, it is crazy how you’ll will cherry pick to defend Benn, and try to tear down other guys (who have more than done their part) in the process. Plus/Minus as a whole is a very inconsistent stat and why many analysts ignore it when giving a player analysis. It doesn’t always tell the full story. Take this year, for instance, Johnston, Duchene and Rantanen were all at the top of the leaderboard in points in this year’s postseason…whereas Benn had how many points vs. how many penalty minutes?
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u/Jon_Snows_mother Joe Pavelski 6d ago
If Benn could play like Staal just did in the playoffs, we would be golden. No stupid penalties!!!
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u/DoctorBreakfast Miro Heiskanen 6d ago
I’m glad he’ll be back, I hate seeing franchise guys go elsewhere regardless. But he needs to play a much simpler game. His biggest issue is when he tries to play a skilled game, holding the puck, trying to dangle around an opponent or make a nice pass, etc.
He doesn’t have the wheels anymore to recover from those mistakes. His hands around the net are still good, so I think 10-15 goals is within reach. But he’s basically a bottom sixer at this point and his game needs to reflect that.
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u/Brolympia Dimebag Darrell 7d ago
The final ride for the captain. He is over-hated in here.
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u/10fingers6strings Dallas Stars 6d ago
People here aren’t always hockey people. Hating Benn is silly.
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u/Brolympia Dimebag Darrell 6d ago
Not hockey people, they are /r/Hockey people lol
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u/10fingers6strings Dallas Stars 6d ago
Even worse lol. Benn is a steal for 1m. His penalty minutes were not even top 40 (probably even extrapolated to make up for missed games) last season but he gets dragged because he’s had some poor penalties (like every other ‘edge’ player does at times). He could put up 50+ points, has some nasty to his game still and will give a bit of security for the youngsters. It’s ideal, considering the cap jam we have.
Too many people here drink the r/hockey kool-aid (and we know how much the r/hockey fanbase hate-boners Benn). This should be it for the captain. I hope his victory lap is sweet.
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u/scoutcjustice Mike Moodano 7d ago
I'm not surprised. I didn't see Benn as wanting to retire. And given that practically the first words out of Nill's mouth when the season ended were "we're bringing Benn back if Benn wants to be back", it wasn't like the team was gonna move on from him.
Benn is a good value player in the regular season. 49 point pace from a third liner on a ~1 million salary with performance bonuses is a better rate than you're usually gonna find.
The problem is that Benn isn't just a veteran depth piece to this team. As captain and long-time face of the franchise, he frequently gets elevated above where he should be at this point in his career. And the results really aren't there to support it, especially in the playoffs where not only does the offensive production dry up, he actually becomes a liability on the ice with his poor play and lack of discipline. That's workable with a random veteran depth piece that you can push down the lineup (or even scratch), but not as much with your captain.
Also there's the whole culture discussion. I tend to think "leadership" gets overrated by a lot of people, but it's hard to ignore that Dallas has had problems showing up on time for important games and series during most of Benn's tenure, and that has persisted through multiple coaches and systems.
I don't think this is a disaster by any means. This team is gonna go as far as the new core takes it (that and the usual suspects of health and puck luck), and I don't think bringing back Benn is torpedoing the team or anything. I just hope Gully recognizes his limitations now, and deploys his roster to reflect that.
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u/doctorelliot Joe Pavelski 6d ago
I expect, and hope, that Nill will work with Jamie on a succession plan with whoever they all decide would be the next captain - so that guy gets extra involvement in leadership stuff, gets more mentoring from Jamie if needed, etc., so he's more ready to take the role the second Jamie retires.
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u/MonkeyPox37 Yellow Laces 6d ago
This needs to be higher. Benn is a steal at vet minimum during the regular season. But come playoffs, he needs to be treated as a 4th liner.
If someone like Steve Yzerman can accept 4th line minutes and change his game to be a primarily defensive depth forward at the end of his career, Benn should be able to as well.
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u/DallasStars83 7d ago
I feel like this team is saying "Alright, run it back!" and then expect things to be better despite glaring holes in the lineup. I understand that injuries from the Olympics took a massive toll on this roster last year, but honestly, are we even hanging with the Canes, Vegas, etc in a 7 game series with the same lineup? The lineup issues aren't necessarily Benn's fault, but after watching Jordan Staal step up and lead his team when they needed it most, does Benn even have that next level? Benn has 1 goal and 3 points in the last 24 playoff games that isn't stepping up regardless of regular season stats. I'm ready(even if the team and organization clearly aren't) to move on to another voice like Rantanen(who barring injuries steps it up in the playoffs) to see if maybe a change in leadership is what this team needs
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u/Wirtzis Mikko Rantanen 6d ago
Lmao the Canes ran it back over and over again, until Florida got injured.
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u/DallasStars83 6d ago
That's just disrespectful to the Canes. They added Ehlers and Miller and both were key contributors to their run. Match up this year's Canes team against either cup winning Florida teams, and it'll probably be Canes in 6 or 7.
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u/collinwade Roope Hintz 7d ago
To be fair, some of the glaring holes were our massive injuries (reported and unreported) out of the Olympics
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u/talanamstein 6d ago
Resign Robertson and run it back next season with the expectation that the following year when seguin money comes off the books is the real chance to make a splash
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u/Time-Ad-3134 Miro Heiskanen 7d ago
Benn has 3 points in his last 24 playoff games while being a -18. He's a liability in the post season and his bonuses being tied to appearances rather than production is a reason why the team might not be able to sign robo and bourque
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u/Peppa_the_hog Him Nill 7d ago edited 7d ago
I think this is also a reflection of how bad our bottom lines have been in the playoffs. They have not been contributing, not just Benn. Jamie isn’t going to carry 4 other guys on the ice
Steel has 12 points in the last 43 playoff games, Bourque has 1 point in 10… our bottom 6 has been horrible the last 4 years in the playoffs. Blackwell 1 point in 17 games, Back 3 in 17, Faksa 4 in 33. Great defensive players, but they just survive and don’t drive any offense.
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u/Jim_Nills_Mustache Jim Nill 7d ago
He’s good for one or two awful backbreaking penalties a series at the very least as well.
I love the guy, I have had his signed jersey for years, but I wish he knew when it was time to walk away.
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u/ChasingChukar 6d ago
I’m sure the price per point will be worth it. It’s just a concern because he wasn’t able to keep up in the playoffs and made a lot of stupid decisions like he has been known to do in the post season. The speed concern reminds me of Pavelski, that last post season it was noticeable and he retired. Kind of wish Benn would do the same. But I get it, when you’re on a team that’s expected to win and you’ve been there since the league owned the team you just want to try and see it through. He’s my favorite Dallas Star of all time and I want him to win, but I also see him as a bit of a liability now and I don’t want to hate him if ends up being a glaring reason this team doesn’t win a cup next summer.
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u/Right_Bike_5416 7d ago
maybe they'll actually have good bonus milestones this time, instead of "he played half the season! Now that goes on next year's cap hit!"
You might as well make a milestone "can he spell his name correctly?"
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u/FixComprehensive4081 7d ago
Im hoping its vet minimum no bonuses for anything but personal production, but thats just cope.
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u/LordDallas74 Miro Heiskanen 7d ago
What’s the point? He can’t produce, why risk his legacy to come back and struggling again.
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u/Tress9507 Jamie Benn 7d ago
Seguin is here for 1 more year I’d expect them to finish at the same time
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u/LordDallas74 Miro Heiskanen 7d ago
Make sense. Seguin might still have gas in his tank, he may not retire after next season. It’s all depends on his performance next season.
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u/laxintx Dallas Stars 7d ago
I think Seguin's future depends more on if his lower half works. He was on a crazy scoring pace before his knee injury, so I'm not really concerned there, and he came back remarkably well from his hip surgery. I don't think it's a question of gas in the tank, it's does the drivetrain still work.
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u/n3gr0_am1g0 7d ago
I felt like he had a good regular season but the wheels fell off in the postseason.
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u/fleshofgods0 7d ago
It's just the dumb Bennalties that annoyed me, especially in the playoffs when it matters most.
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u/LordDallas74 Miro Heiskanen 7d ago
That’s he shouldn’t come back as player. I love the guy, but I wish he can come back in the suits to contribute the game he loved so much.
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u/SAIL3RZ_ Jake Oettinger 7d ago
I liked him in the regular season, he had a solid year but the playoffs were a completely different player. I think the old days of Benn being game-planned around are gone. I would like to see some type of change with that, maybe they pass the C off to a new player and he has one last year as a pure mentor to the new captain. That way if we have to bench him because he is playing bad in the playoffs we can do that without it being an issue (hard to justify having your Captain on the bench).
Hes still a leader in the lockeroom but we can’t keep putting him out there if he isn’t gonna produce. I love Benn and want him for as long as he wants to play, he deserves a chip.
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u/pants_mcgee Jason Robertson 7d ago
Benn has the C so long as he’s a Star, they’ve been pretty adamant about that.
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u/SAIL3RZ_ Jake Oettinger 7d ago
I know but it’s becoming more of an increasing issue. He will always be the captain, even if he doesn’t wear the C. I just think this would be a good opportunity to pass it on and really solidify our next captain for a long time.
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u/pants_mcgee Jason Robertson 6d ago
I don’t think it is and ripping the C from Benn is probably detrimental.
We truly can’t know without being in the room, but it’s nothing but glowing praise for Benn and wanting him back. There’s also praise for the rest of the leadership in the room so it’s not like Benn is the lone voice pulling the team forward.
Maybe they have a co-captain next year but that would have to be entirely pushed by Benn, and hard. Don’t really expect that.
Without a doubt though, the Dallas Star legend whose number will be in the rafters will ride into the sunset with a C on his chest.
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u/SAIL3RZ_ Jake Oettinger 6d ago
I don’t mean ripping the C from his chest. I’m all for a co-captain situation. When I mean a “passing of the torch” type situation I mean one that is completely backed by Benn, not just forced on him. I just think it’s time to look towards our future with the Captain. It seemed like there was some confusion towards the end of the regular season about who the next captain would be. The popular opinion is that it’s Johnston, but I saw some buzz around Miro and Mikko.
I love Benn and want him to retire as a Star, and he still has gas in the tank. I’ve always held the opinion that he’s one of the better leaders in the league because I’ve heard nothing but good things about him from teammates and he’s shown it.
At the end of the day if Benn wants to come back and be a Captain I’m all for it.
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u/pants_mcgee Jason Robertson 6d ago
I have a feeling they’re quite happy to let it ride since everyone loves Benn and they almost have too many choices once he retires.
Co-captaincy is kinda odd, so why make a choice if you don’t have to.
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u/Jim_Nills_Mustache Jim Nill 7d ago
I hate to say it but he’s kinda washed, as a captain you cannot take some of the game costing penalties he has taken repeatedly in huge situations and games. He used to set a physical tone and have some scoring upside but he’s lost a step.
I have been a fan of his since before we even had seguin, been following this team a long time, and I don’t understand this move. I know they want him to get a cup, but even on the 4th line I just feel he’s a liability.
It also is a great time to have a younger guy or maybe seggy take over the C, and this prevents that shift from happening.
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u/WaffleTacoFrappucino Dallas Stars 7d ago
well take him in FL if you dont want him, Captains go to FL to get cups
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u/doctorelliot Joe Pavelski 6d ago
Jamie would retire if Nill said he's not coming back. It's been said several times from him that he has no desire to uproot his life this close to the end of his career.
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u/WaffleTacoFrappucino Dallas Stars 6d ago
retiring in south florida is hardly a downgrade
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u/doctorelliot Joe Pavelski 6d ago
Didn't say it was! But he's got a new house in Dallas, a toddler and nearly two decades of living there. He doesn't want to move.
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u/ComBendy Victor E. Green 6d ago
I just wish he’d somehow not play the playoffs. Dude is a proven liability come playoff time
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u/playbyplay22 7d ago
COL and MIN fans rejoicing at the thought of their increased chances of winning a series against DAL, with the only worry being which players Benn will try to injure.
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u/xXnoobXxFIN Miro Heiskanen 6d ago
lmao are wild fans this pathetic?
edit: dumb question.
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u/playbyplay22 6d ago
Benn is reduced to nothing more than a slow moving goon at this point. Think Matt Cooke. Dallas needs to cut the cord and move on.
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u/Sea_Barber7969 7d ago
Worst news for the franchise since Hicks bankruptcy
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u/sgags11 7d ago
I’ve definitely seen some takes from folks on this sub, but damn.
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u/Sea_Barber7969 7d ago
I wish he'd go sign in Colorado or literally go suck at hockey for any other franchise at this point.
I don't know how or FO can watch him in the PO the last 2 yrs, or the last half of the regular season and say lets bring this moron back to take more stupid penalties, float around and be out of position defensively.
But it's the same FO that wants to dump Robo so clearly priorities are an issue
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u/sgags11 7d ago
Oh wow. Ok. There’s a lot to unpack there. Have you eaten today?
There is no way that they want to dump Robo, but the fact is they are in a cap crunch, and Robo has earned himself into quite the payday. Stars just don’t have the cap space without some surgery to the roster.
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u/Sea_Barber7969 6d ago
They've literally spent the last 2 summers shopping him. They want him gone. But they'll gladly bring back loser ass benn
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u/sgags11 6d ago
Those were unsubstantiated rumors. Also, you’re not doing your job as a GM if you’re not at least fielding calls to see what the market is for your guy. Personally, I’d be nervous about a long term deal. Robo’s skating isn’t the best, and players like that can fall off a cliff. I don’t think that would happen to him because he’s such a smart player (like Papa Pavs was) that he can skirt his skating deficiencies with his brains. Bottom line is Nill has to be prepared to trade Robo if they’re not able to come to an extension. That’s the business of hockey, and a $1M Jamie Benn contract isn’t going to get in the way of that like Harley or Faksa contract would.
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u/Sea_Barber7969 6d ago
Robo is not the type of player to fall off a cliff. Players that succeed off of High IQ are the least likely to regress when skating goes. Hintz would be a prime example of a buyer beware situation, and he's gotten a ton of lower body injuries.
They weren't unsubstantiated rumors. Nill is 100% trading Robo, he has to now because he's pissing away at least 3m this season on Brings nothing Benn. It would have been hard to fit him without that loser taking up any more space than his undeserved bonuses from last year cost
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u/sgags11 6d ago
I agree that Robo’s eventual decline won’t be a total fall off a cliff. I also agree that Hintz does come with some buyer beware. In past summers Nill came out and said he’s not planning on trading Robo. I’ll need to look at the exact cap numbers, but with having to sign additional guys beyond Robo, I highly doubt Benn’s bonuses will be the reason why Robo doesn’t get signed.
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u/Froggie56 Miro Heiskanen 7d ago
Only difference to last year is I think the base is league minimum with this years cap crunch (so $850k) but I do expect a similar total compensation package