Win now, talk later from the captain and epitome of a Dallas Star

At this point in time, Jamie Benn kind of is the Dallas Stars.

Certainly, the new group of 20-somethings are taking a bigger slice of the pie and might be driving the fortunes of the team in terms of stats. And yes, the front office and coaching staff are pushing Dallas to places it hasn’t been in decades. But at the center of it all, the 35-year-old captain still is steering the ship.

Benn is starting his 16^th season with the team and currently sits second in franchise history in games played (1,112), goals (383) and points (907). The guy who is first in those categories has a statue out front, so Benn has already entered a pretty special place. But just as you start sizing the fifth-round draft pick up for a banner and a Hall of Fame blazer, he gently reminds everyone that his job is far from over. With his eighth-year contract coming to an end after this season, it would be standard practice to start discussing an extension, but Stars GM Jim Nill said Benn quietly redirected any thoughts of money talk to the summer and is focusing squarely on the ice.

“I talked to Jamie over the summer and asked if he wanted to start talking about two years down the road,” Nill said. “He was very clear, he said ‘Jim, I just want to win this year and make decisions later.’”

There is some strategy in Benn’s thinking, Nill said.

“He’s all about the team and it is a little bit of Joe Pavelski’s theory of we’ll wait and see what the needs of the team are and how can we help,” Nill said. “He’s the captain of the team and he’s made it very clear that it’s all about winning.”

Pavelski last season played for $3.5 million. Even though he was 39, he was coming off a year in which he tallied 77 points in 82 games and could have made a lot more. The fact he took a lower salary allowed the Stars to add Matt Duchene in the summer and then Chris Tanev at the trade deadline. Dallas made it to the Western Conference Final and lost in Game 6 to Edmonton.

“Joe and Jamie always talked about maybe you can take a little bit less,” Nill said. “Players need to be paid fairly, but if you want to play on a good team, there’s sacrifice that comes with that.”

Benn definitely knows sacrifice. He has pushed himself up from the BCHL to the Art Ross Trophy and has helped the Stars to 102 playoff games along the way. One problem is he has not yet won the Stanley Cup. His photo album has too many dejected entries from 2020 (losing to Tampa Bay in the Stanley Cup Final) to 2023 and 2024 when his season ended in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final. The lessons have been difficult, but he said the team, as a whole, has a drive because of them.

“You try to learn from it,” he said. “I’ve been through a lot with this group the last couple of years. We need to improve areas of our game. Obviously, it’s not where it needs to be yet to win a Stanley Cup.”

And that is the goal. Of course, every team starts with that thought, but the Stars really do have one of the best rosters in the NHL and should be among the favorites to come out of the West and compete for the big trophy. Benn knows that.

“We have a lineup that we can put out any night and win a hockey game,” he said. “We’ve got a great group of guys here, a lot of young kids who are ready to play right now. I think we have all the pieces.”

Benn is the longest tenured captain in franchise history and currently the fourth longest in the NHL. He has a knack for knowing what to say and do, and while he will miss Pavelski’s helping hand this season, Benn knows that the retired teammate is just a phone call away. Plus, Benn has gotten pretty sharp at sensing what the “kids” need. After helping Wyatt Johnston the past two seasons, it seems the left wing will now have a line that includes Mavrik Bourque and Logan Stankoven.

“Not only can I help them out throughout a long season, but they can help me out, too,” Benn said. “They bring a lot of energy and I try to keep up.”

The combination has been good for Benn, who had 21 goals among 60 points in 82 games last season. It’s not quite the 70-something points that Benn turned out on a regular basis in his prime, but it’s great depth scoring on a team that was among the deepest in the NHL last year. Mix in the fact Benn continues to be a physical force and a man who makes space for his linemates, and you have a very big contributor.

“He’s a little bit of a unicorn, not a whole lot of players left like him,” Nill said. “He’s a blend of the skill, the physicality, the determination. He is a very respected player in the NHL, the way he plays the game. He plays it hard, but he plays it down the line.”

Some fans on opposing teams might not always agree with the “down the line” part, but that’s another thing that makes Benn special. Yes, he doesn’t mind pushing the boundaries for his team, and that’s a big reason he was happy to welcome in defenseman Matt Dumba in free agency. Dumba two seasons ago knocked Pavelski out of the first round of the playoffs with a big hit, and that left many fans scratching their heads when he was signed by Dallas. But Benn said he gets it.

“Dumba is one of those guys you hate to play against but love to have him on your team,” Benn said. “He kind of reminds me of an old teammate of mine – Steve Ott.”

Asked if he needed to talk to Dumba before welcoming him into the room, Benn shook his head no.

“We’re all professionals,” he said. “We know he was just playing the game hard. He’s part of our team and he’s going to help us win.”

The fact the Stars can operate that way makes them one of the teams that has a chance to win the Cup, and it makes Benn one of the most important players in franchise history. So, while Benn’s contract might elapse at the end of this season, the odds are pretty good he will be wearing Victory Green for the foreseeable future.

“My plan as long as I’m GM, he’s going to be a Dallas Star,” Nill said. “He’s earned that right.”

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.