Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill wants to keep Jamie Benn as member of the franchise for the rest of his career (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
The Dallas Stars remain a contender in the Western Conference. But unlike their counterparts in Colorado, who are dealing with a similar situation with their star player Mikko Rantanen, you wouldn't know Jamie Benn was a free agent at the end of the season.
That is the case for the Dallas Stars captain, and from all indications, general manager Jim Nill wants to keep a franchise member for the rest of his career.
"Neither party is worried about Benn staying in Dallas. The expectation is he will finish his career as a member of the Dallas Stars," a well-placed RG source said. “He wants to do that.”
The Stars and Jamie Benn have kept things quiet in the media. That is not how the two-time general manager of the year does business. However, as the source indicated, both parties want to get a deal done, which will be done after the season ends.
"The understanding from both parties is that they will wait until the end of the season and see where things are before negotiating a new deal."
Benn is in the final year of the eight-year deal he signed back on July 15, 2016. However, the contract did not kick in until the 2017-18 season. Benn's current contract carries an AAV of $9.5 million per season.
There are no numbers being discussed at the moment, as preliminary discussions only took place this past summer.
"Nill brought in Jamie over the summer, and they started to discuss a new contract extension. Nothing too serious, just more of a feel to see where the player was at in terms of wanting to remain with the franchise.”
The Stars drafted Jamie Benn in the fifth round with pick 129 in the 2007 NHL Draft, and he has proven to be worth every penny they have signed him for. Benn has played in 1,155 career games, recording 937 points (395 goals and 542 assists). In 43 games this season with the Stars, he has recorded 30 points (12 goals and 18 assists).
Recording 1,000 games and 1,000 points with the same franchise would be an incredible accomplishment for Benn. It is unclear what type of deals were discussed, whether multi-year or single-year deals, but the main thing was that the Stars wanted Benn to remain with the franchise, and he wanted to remain with the Stars.
Having 10 years of experience (SiriusXM NHL Network Radio, Rod Pedersen Show, Raw Mike Richards Show, and more) covering the Devils, the NHL along with College Football, the NFL, and the tennis circuit Jim Biringer has wealth of sports knowledge. As one of Jim's hockey coaches put it he is a "student of the game." During his time as a sports reporter, Biringer has covered some of the biggest events including most recently the 2024 Stanley Cup Final along with several NHL Drafts. He is also the host of the Full Press Hockey Podcast and Final Word on Hockey plus Around Campus - The College Football Podcast.
