Jamie Benn’s Legacy Is Secure — But Maybe His Future in Dallas Shouldn’t Be

Thursday might be Jamie Benn’s closing recreation with the Dallas Stars.

The Stars are down 3-1 within the Western Convention Remaining to the Edmonton Oilers, Benn doesn’t have a contract in place for subsequent season. Each time the Stars season ends, even when Dallas does the inconceivable and comes again on this sequence, Benn’s eight-year pact with the franchise that kicked in earlier than the 2017-18 season might be accomplished.

Now again in September, earlier than the season even began, Stars common supervisor Jim Nill reasonably famously mentioned, “My plan as long as I’m GM, he’s going to be a Dallas Star. He’s earned that right.”

Nill put that out into the universe, it was catnip for Stars followers and media members, a promise from the GM that celebrates loyalty and partially the legacy of the participant that’s performed extra recreation as a Dallas Star than anybody else.

It’s additionally painted Nill into a really tough place, as a result of now he’ll must correctly navigate that assertion and what it actually meant this spring, doubtless after a 3rd straight Western Convention Finals loss.

First let’s be clear on a pair issues, as a result of most of these items — understandably — can and can really feel like drive-by hit items the morning after a loss for some Stars followers.

• No. 14 must be within the rafters in American Airways Middle, after Mike Modano, he’s been arguably essentially the most influential particular person Stars participant in franchise historical past.

• It’s vital, within the second, to acknowledge what a participant was, what they’re, and have a tough discuss concerning the future on the identical time.

Benn has been the Stars captain for the reason that begin of the 2013-14 season, the fourth-most tenured NHL chief in his place. He’s at all times been the Stars non secular chief in a way, the virtually spiritual voice whereas the pragmatic, tactical management in Dallas — the top coach — has modified 5 occasions.

And all through that point nobody within the locker room has ever questioned Benn’s management. In reality, gamers rave about Benn’s management model, how he makes everybody really feel like equals, how he he places staff over self, and the way he’ll by no means ask anybody to do one thing he wouldn’t do himself.

For a sport steeped in refined romanticism, Benn is a bridge to the previous, he scored the game-winning shootout objective in Mike Modano’s closing recreation. Benn represents a dramatic Artwork Ross trophy and an iconic battle towards Jarome Iginla, reminiscences of a participant that really lived as much as a Teddy Roosevelt-esque “speak softly and carry a big stick,” mantra.

However Benn the participant and Benn the story have diverted, significantly this spring.

The Stars will comply with Benn to the top of the earth after which some. He received’t ask anybody to do something he received’t.

And that received’t change so long as he’s a part of the roster. If Benn is within the locker room, he would be the non secular chief, the voice others look to and defer to. He’ll at all times outline Stars hockey and what it represents.

And that’s why it’s time for the Stars to maneuver on.

It’s been significantly notable on this sequence between the Stars and Oilers. The Stars greatest heart, Roope Hintz, was injured on a unclean slash by an Oiler in Sport 2, missed Sport 3, after which was welcomed again in Sport 4 with one other slash on the very same spot by one other Oiler.

The second slash, delivered by Evan Bouchard, is essentially the most damning on the Stars lack of response. The Oilers defender had no qualms about performing playoff darkish arts in public, it was effectively captured on the Sportsnet broadcast, and Bouchard, from my view, by no means even needed to suppose twice about what he’d finished.

That second slash didn’t simply expose the Stars’ lack of response—it uncovered the hollowing out of the deterrent Benn as soon as was, a former one-man wrecking crew who delivered vigilante justice in Dallas.

Benn was the deterrent in each a conventional and refined sense. He’s been often known as one of many NHL’s higher low-key soiled gamers for years, there was a time he was like Brad Marchand with out the mouth. He might get away with issues behind the play, rise up for himself, and likewise discover offensive success, one thing the 2022-23 “Bennasaince” prolonged and celebrated.

However now, in 2025, he’s a shell of that. Benn, in his personal phrases to Wayne Gretzky, is a only a checker now. He’s a fourth liner that performs lower than 12 minutes per recreation.

In a vacuum that’s a superb function for an ageing participant, he’ll be 36 this summer time. However for the Stars chief, the participant others idolize and look as much as, it’s a disservice and as a bunch the Stars at all times appear to be ready for an older, classic model of Benn to reach.

Benn can proceed this path for one more staff. A staff the place he can arrive as a supportive depth piece, like a late-career Andrew Cogliano, somebody who can fill a checking line in his late 30s.

However he can’t do it in Dallas. In Dallas he’ll at all times be Jamie Benn. He’ll at all times be “The Captain,” they’ll at all times be an unrealistic customary of historical past that he’ll be unable to ship upon.

It’s the same choice to the one the Stars made once they let John Klingberg stroll after the 2021-22 season. The Stars let Klingberg stroll for contract causes, however in addition they did it so his presence could be gone, the air he crammed within the room as an alpha on the Stars blue line.

With Klingberg gone, Miro Heiskanen and to a lesser extent Esa Lindell emerged extra as leaders, took the following step of their recreation. It wasn’t an indictment on Klingberg, reasonably a actuality that generally clearing the air and opening the house permits for others to develop.

As a result of that’s what the Stars are severely missing now, particularly after Joe Pavelski retired, people who will develop into that management void and take over Benn’s mantle.

Wyatt Johnston is well-believed to be the longer term captain, however he’s additionally been combating expectation this spring and like the remainder of the Stars, he tends to comply with the tone that Benn units.

And Benn’s tone is swings one among two methods. It’s both the optimistic, a hard-working mantra of “we before me” that comes out, or it’s immense frustration and poor choice making. A willingness to take dangers and offensive zone penalties with restricted reward.

When Benn, the captain, is taking poor offensive zone or poorly-time penalties, it normalizes it for the Stars. Others comply with and, effectively, we’ve seen what the Oilers do with additional energy play alternatives.

Benn additionally not carries the worry of retribution from different groups. In a bygone period, Benn created worry when he stepped on the ice, how he would damage you with the puck or not, and now different groups merely watch to see how he’ll probably damage his personal staff if he’s a second late on a forecheck or too annoyed behind the play.

It’s a tragic actuality on the finish of an athlete’s profession, particularly one which has outlined a franchise. Age and time have caught Benn, he can not be an establishment for the Stars on the ice, and when Nill makes proclamation for Benn that “my plan as long as I’m GM, he’s going to be a Dallas Star,” he’s painted the franchise right into a nook.

As a result of that assertion by Nill goes towards his different mantra, the one which’s helped him construct such a profitable staff. Nill’s job, in his personal phrases, is to fret about what’s greatest for the Stars immediately, tomorrow and 5 years from now.

And based mostly on what’s occurred this postseason and this sequence, and the altering dynamics of this staff, to ship on that mandate, Nill should change that plan centered round Benn he declared earlier this season.

And in a bizarre means possibly that’s one of the simplest ways to honor Benn.

To let him go now, not as a result of he failed the Stars, however as a result of he gave them every part he had, and one other 12 months of decline will solely drag each the staff and Benn’s legacy.