First Shift 🏒
As Benn adds to his franchise record for games played (1,265) and approaches 1,000 points (currently 996), the thought is he’s slowing down at age 37.
But that’s not what the eye test says.
Yes, Benn is playing the fewest minutes of his career at 12:20 a game – down from 13:17 last season – but he scored a big goal on Thursday and spent key minutes on a line with Rantanen and Wyatt Johnston.
“I thought Jamie has had good legs the last couple of games,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. “He’s skating really well.”
Benn dedicated himself to losing weight over the summer, and Gulutzan said before the season that the 6-3 forward was as thin as he had ever seen him. That has allowed Benn to look lighter and play quicker this year.
“I think he’s been moving well,” Johnston said on Thursday. “Obviously, a nice goal today. He looks good. He always looks good to me. He’s obviously a huge part of our team.”
Benn and fellow veteran Seguin have been a big part of the Stars’ attack since Seguin was acquired in 2013, and both have found a way to stay impactful.
“He’s great,” Seguin said. “He shows us the way with how hard he works.”
Benn set up Seguin two games ago on an odd-man rush, so Seguin was happy to see Benn score off a nice pass from Rantanen on Thursday.
“He’s older….wiser,” Seguin said. “It’s great when he finds the back of the net. We all get excited.”
That said, Benn has just four points (2 goals, 2 assists) in 13 games this season, so the age is showing. But with Dallas trying to survive with injuries to Duchene, Radek Faksa, Oskar Bäck and, until recently, Sam Steel, Benn is going to get moved up the lineup. Gulutzan said he has full confidence in putting Benn in those situations.
“He can still do it,” Gulutzan said. “We just need everybody doing it.”
Faksa is getting close and free agent Perron is almost ready to make his debut with his new team, so all forwards will need to be ready to adjust to assignments and minutes. What’s more, defenseman Esa Lindell practiced Friday and also is a possibility for Saturday against Columbus.
“I think we’ll see one, if not two, of those three,” Gulutzan said. “We just don’t know which one yet.”
