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Stars Lock Up Benn for Eight Additional Seasons

July 16, 2016, 10:57 AM ET [6 Comments]
Bill Meltzer
Dallas Stars Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Even before Jamie Benn won the Art Ross Trophy in 2014-15 and was a Hart Trophy finalist in 2015-16, indeed even before he succeeded Brenden Morrow as team captain in 2013, Jamie Benn had become the heart and soul of the Dallas Stars. His combination of skill and will, snarl and finesse, and the ability to create energy and momentum for the team whether through a goal, a big hit or a well-timed fight started to emerge early in his NHL career.

Now, with one season remaining on his current contract, the Stars have signed the 26-year-old Benn to a massive contract extension. Starting in the 2017-18 season, Benn will begin an eight-year, $76 million ($9.5 million per season cap hit) contract.

Benn, who boasts a combination of power and speed, has also been a durable player thus far in his career. He has only missed one game over the past three seasons. However, in each of the last two seasons, Benn has played through core muscle issues in the latter portion of the season. He underwent hip surgery following his Art Ross season and Stars GM Jim Nill revealed on Friday that Benn underwent core muscle surgery earlier this week in Philadelphia.

A contract such as Benn's would never have happened in the period before Tom Gaglardi took over ownership of the once-bankrupt franchise. If Benn were at the same juncture of his career about five years ago, then-GM Joe Nieuwendyk would have been compelled to either trade him or allow the team's franchise player to depart via free agency.

In the Gaglardi era, the team has shown a commitment to winning, and spending what it takes to ice a Stanley Cup contending team. Jim Nill has shown himself to be one of the NHL's more astute GMs, not spending or trading for its own sake but going full speed ahead when he identifies players whom he feels are the right fit toward advancing that goal. Obviously, making the effort to lock up Benn long term was a no-brainer, but committing nine years (the remaining season on his current deal plus the new eight-year extension beyond it) at that sort of cap hit takes guts even when it involves a superstar talent.

There is risk to this deal, of course, and it's entirely a cap-related risk on the Stars' side because of the unpredictability of hockey. If Benn's body starts to break down about three or four years into the deal -- a not-insignificant risk especially because he plays an aggressive and physical style that is as vital of a component to his game as the finesse -- the deal might not be as much of a win-win down the road. The level of Benn's contract essentially will demand that he stays healthy and performs almost annually at a Hart/Art Ross Trophy contender level for many years to come.

In the meantime, the Stars have a lot of quality pieces around Benn and fellow marquee forward Tyler Seguin as well as emerging standout defenseman John Klingberg. However, the Stars still have to upgrade their blueline, figure out their goaltending (in which there is already a lot of money tied up between two veteran goaltenders in whom they do not fully trust), get more consistent team-wide buy-in to a 200-foot game and also weigh their window as a major Stanley Cup contender against the advancing ages of players such as Jason Spezza and Patrick Sharp as their key supporting pieces.

Committing $9.5 million of cap space to Benn helps keep the nucleus secure but it does not answer the questions of how to put the final pieces in place to go over the top while also planning for the long term. There are some exciting young prospects in the farm system pipeline but none who are truly in that rare can't miss" category at this stage of their development.

The good news for the Stars: There's plenty on hand with which to work, and a growing track record of generally sound decisions being made when it gets down to the nitty gritty. The team also is now secure in the knowledge that it has one of the NHL's best individual players and top leaders-by-example in the game locked up for a long time to come.
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