On Wednesday, the Dallas Stars announced that longtime captain Jamie Benn is returning to Dallas on a one-year, league-minimum contract worth $850,000, with an additional $1,150,000 in potential performance bonuses.
The signing keeps one of the most decorated players in franchise history in the only uniform he has ever worn, as Benn prepares to embark on his 18th NHL season with the Stars.
The numbers Benn has put together over his career in Dallas are staggering. Across 1,252 regular-season games, all with the Stars, the Victoria, British Columbia native has recorded 414 goals and 578 assists for 992 points, putting him within striking distance of the 1,000-point milestone as he heads into next season.
His 1,252 games played are the most of any Stars skater since the franchise relocated to Dallas and rank second in the entire history of the franchise behind only the legendary Mike Modano, who played 1,459 games.
Benn also ranks in the top five in franchise history in career goals, ranking second all-time, assists third, points second, even-strength goals second with 287, power-play goals fourth with 111, game-winning goals second with 65 and the most overtime goals in franchise history with 12.
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Not a bad return on investment for a fifth-round pick out of the 2007 NHL Draft. Benn's peak years were as dominant as any power forward of his era. In 2014-15, he claimed the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer after finishing with 87 points, becoming the first Stars player to win the scoring title since the franchise relocated.
The following season he was even better offensively, posting a career-high 89 points and earning a Hart Memorial Trophy finalist nod as one of the three most valuable players in the entire league. Those seasons cemented Benn's status not just as a franchise cornerstone but as one of the premier power forwards in the game at his peak.
The now 36-year-old missed time this past season due to injury and finished with 15 goals and 21 assists for 36 points in 60 games, a statistical line that reflects both the toll of injuries and the natural progression of a player deep into the back nine of his NHL career.
The Stars are clearly not signing Benn for his point totals at this stage, however. They are bringing him back for his leadership, his institutional knowledge, his competitiveness and the standard he sets in the locker room every single day for a team that has developed legitimate championship aspirations.
Dallas has reached the Western Conference Final in three of the last four seasons and is hungry to take the next step, with the franchise's last Stanley Cup Final appearance coming in 2020 when the Stars fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games.
Benn was a part of that run and has been the face of every meaningful moment this franchise has experienced over the past nearly two decades. Having him in the room as the Stars push for another deep postseason run carries a value that does not show up in any box score.
If Benn can stay healthy and find a consistent role in the bottom six, the league-minimum deal could pay off for a Dallas team with its sights set firmly on a first Stanley Cup since 1999.
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