The Dallas Stars face familiar offseason questions as captain Jamie Benn contemplates whether to lace up for another season, while the club sorts through contract decisions for its young stars and coaches push for continuity in pursuit of a Stanley Cup.
Jamie Benn entered the offseason once more with a choice to make about playing another year. The veteran, who will turn 37 on July 18, spent the immediate days after the playoff exit sounding undecided and focused more on family than on timelines. “Right now I’m just hanging out, being a dad, and figure it out later,” Benn said, leaving the door open without closing it. His plan, for now, is to take some space and let the answer come to him in its own time.
Coach Glen Gulutzan and longtime teammate Tyler Seguin made their positions clear: they want Benn back. “For me, it’s a slam dunk. He needs to come back,” Gulutzan said, pointing to Benn’s leadership and familiarity with the system. Seguin echoed the sentiment but kept the personal side intact: “I don’t think anyone knows what Jaime is going to do until Jamie does it,” Seguin said. “I’ll stay out of his way, let him come to his own decisions, but I’d obviously love to have him for one more shot.”
Benn’s legacy in Dallas is substantial, and the numbers back it up without drama. Only Mike Modano in franchise history tops Benn’s totals like games played, goals and points, and Benn has been a steady presence in postseason play with 126 games. The only trip all the way to the Final came in 2020, a run that ended in a six-game loss to Tampa Bay in the pandemic bubble.
This past season tested Benn physically and in role. He missed time early on with a punctured lung and later sat out three games after suffering a broken nose, and his average ice time dipped to a career low of just over 13 minutes per game. Even with less ice time, he contributed 15 goals and 21 assists, showing he can still impact the scoreboard in different circumstances. He also played his entire NHL career in Dallas and remains a cornerstone of the locker room.
Contract flexibility has played into Benn’s decisions before; last season he signed a one-year, $1 million deal and collected about $2 million more through bonuses. General manager Jim Nill has publicly supported Benn remaining part of the organization as long as the captain wants to continue. That backing reduces pressure from the front office side and leaves the choice largely to Benn’s personal calculus about health, family and competitive drive.
Beyond Benn, the Stars have another key offseason item: Jason Robertson’s contract situation. Robertson, 26 and fast approaching 27 on July 22, can become a restricted free agent when his current four-year, $31 million deal runs its course. Both sides indicated they would play the season out before entering serious negotiations, and the club will hold his negotiating rights if it issues the qualifying offer by the late June deadline.
Robertson’s production has been steady since that last contract, with a prolific stretch of goals and assists that pushed him and team mate Wyatt Johnston to each reach 45 goals this season. “I understand it’s a business on both sides, right? I’m optimistic, I hope,” Robertson said, acknowledging the commercial reality that accompanies modern NHL careers. The Stars can match any offer sheet for Robertson if they protect his rights with the qualifying tender.
For a franchise that reached the conference finals for three straight seasons before this year’s early exit, the offseason is about choices that balance veteran leadership with rising talent. Benn’s decision will shape the immediate future on the ice and in the dressing room, while Robertson’s contract talks could determine roster stability. Management, coaches and players will weigh those moves against the single unchanging objective: get back in position to win the Cup.
