Jamie Benn was a brilliant Dallas Star, but he may suffer ‘the consequences'

Yahoo

2 days ago

Dallas Stars veteran forward Jamie Benn may have played his final game with the team on Thursday night. Benn, 35, will be a free agent this summer.
Based on hockey alone, Jamie Benn played his final game for the Dallas Stars.
He's 35, and has 1,192 regular season NHL games on his body. He's coming off a career worst season, and his numbers won't reverse.
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Benn will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and Stars GM Jim Nill will feel enormous internal pressure to succumb to the sentimental, and go against the hockey, to give Benn a new contract.
Don't be stunned when the Stars bring Benn back to make sure he finishes his career with the only NHL team he's ever known, but this is not a great idea.
After the Stars lost 6-3 in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night, Benn was the last Stars player off the ice as the team headed towards the tunnel. That's not a coincidence.
After the game, he was asked if he thought about his future at all, and that this may have been his last game with the franchise.
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'No,' he said.
Don't worry. He's lying. All players on the final years of their contract who want to play another season think about this sort of thing. They're human.
When asked if he wants to come back, he simply said, 'Yes.'
Never a wordsmith, Benn has been the best good soldier.
The Stars are so close, but they will have to do something this summer to address a roster that obviously isn't good enough to win the Stanley Cup. That could potentially include letting Benn walk, but this is one move where sentiment will have a say.
He began his career with the team in 2009, and carried the Stars through some lean years; was an All-Star multiple times; won the scoring trophy in 2014-'15; played well for Team Canada in multiple tournaments; was a big part of this team making the Stanley Cup Final in 2020, and this three-year run to the Western Conference Finals.
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'It sucks. Three years in a row to get that close and come up short,' he said.
Anyone who watched this series against the Oilers saw it; he's at the end. He played 10 minutes and 24 seconds in Game 5. In this postseason, he scored one goal with two assists.
Considering the type of heavy, physical game he plays, Benn squeezed more of his body than expected. He proved to be durable, a professional.
To bring him back would mean he could still be the captain, and the Stars are at that point when it's time to give the 'C' to someone else. It's time for the Stars to be led by a younger player. The ideal candidate is young forward Wyatt Johnston.
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To have Benn in the room, even if he agrees to wear the 'A,' surrounded by mostly the same teammates could create an awkward situation. This is a group that is used to looking at Benn, and now they wouldn't. But they would.
On the ice, he's no longer a top six forward for this team. He's a third, or fourth, line winger who will merit limited minutes on most nights. Some nights, coach Pete DeBoer may juggle lines and Benn will be placed next to a Roope Hintz, or other top center. That will be the exception.
The Stars gave Benn an eight-year, $76 million extension in the summer of 2016, and both parties won on the deal. That seldom happens on contracts of that length; but the Stars received a good 'price per wear.'
Nill is a loyal man, and for years he served as an understudy to long time Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland, who shared similar views about certain players. Former Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman comes to mind.
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Nill will want to reward a pro's pro who, while not perfect, has done everything in his power to earn another contract. He did it with veteran Joe Pavelski, and it worked.
But Benn's game is different than Pavelski, who retired last summer. Benn is at that point where no amount of effort, training or work can bring his body back to 25. Or 30. Or 33.
The hockey part says Nill needs to move on from the player.
Don't be surprised when he doesn't, even if it's not a good idea.