Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn has made it clear that he intends to play out his contract season without opening extension talks. Stars general manager Jim Nill confirmed this, revealing that he approached Benn about an extension, but the veteran forward is solely focused on the upcoming season.
“I asked him, ‘Do you want to start talking about two years down the road yet?’ He was very clear: ‘Jim, I just want to win this year and make decisions from there,’” Nill said. “He’s all in with the team. It’s a little bit of Joe Pavelski’s theory of wait and see what are the needs of the team and how can I help out.”
The 35-year-old winger is entering the final year of an eight-year, $76 million contract signed in 2016. With a cap hit of $9.5 million and a full no-move clause, Benn is still an integral part of the Stars lineup.
Last season, Benn tallied 21 goals and 60 points in 82 games, while adding four goals and 15 points in 19 playoff games as the Stars reached the Western Conference Final for the second consecutive year. Nill expressed his confidence in Benn, stating that he plans to keep him as a Dallas Star for the long run once contract talks are on the table.
“My plan, as long as I’m the GM here, he’s going to be a Dallas Star,” Nill affirmed. “He’s earned that right. I think the first thing is: Are they still performing at the level they should be? And Jamie’s done that.”
Drafted in the fifth round of the 2007 draft, Benn has accumulated 383 goals and 907 points in 1,112 career games, all with the Stars. His loyalty and performance on the ice have solidified his place as a franchise player in Dallas.
In addition to Benn, Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger is also set to play the season on an expiring contract. As he moves towards restricted free agency next summer, Nill highlighted uncertainty in the goaltender market with pending deals for other netminders like Jeremy Swayman and Igor Shesterkin.
The future remains uncertain for both Benn and Oettinger, but one thing is clear – the Dallas Stars are committed to keeping their core players in place for success on the ice.
