Jamie Benn has been with the Stars since they drafted him all the way back in 2007 when he was a fifth-round pick. He has gone on to play in 17 seasons for the franchise. It will be a little longer before we know if that number gets increased to 18.
In an appearance on 96.7 The Ticket today (audio link), GM Jim Nill indicated that his plan is to meet with Benn after the draft to discuss his future. He also noted that he wants to keep the captain in the fold.
The 36-year-old is a pending unrestricted free agent and Dallas has some key files to try to work through in the near future, headlined by forwards Jason Robertson and Mavrik Bourque heading for restricted free agency next month. They only have around $10MM in cap space, per PuckPedia, a price tag that Robertson alone is expected to eclipse. With that in mind, it stands to reason that Nill’s focus right now is trying to get that situation resolved so he knows what his salary cap situation is heading into July 1st.
This past season, Benn played on a bonus-laden contract. The base salary was just $1MM while he had another $3MM in bonuses, $2MM for games played and $1MM for playoff incentives that ultimately weren’t met. With Dallas finishing off the year in LTIR, the $2MM in bonuses he earned will now count against the 2026-27 cap, contributing to their current cap crunch.
Benn is eligible to sign another contract like that, as long as it’s a one-year agreement. At this stage of his career, that seems like a probable outcome. If that happens, there’s a good chance the deal will resemble this year’s pact, one that keeps the base AAV low ($1MM will only be $150K above the league minimum next season) while allowing for some achievable games played bonuses as long as he stays healthy. Those bonuses would likely then roll over onto the 2027-28 cap but with over $23MM in expiring contracts in 2027, they should have an easier time absorbing the costs at that time.
Benn has 1,252 career regular season games under his belt and is just eight points shy of the 1,000 mark, ranking second in franchise history behind only Mike Modano. He hasn’t been producing at the same offensive level as his prime in recent years but he still managed 15 goals and 21 assists in 60 games in 2025-26 before struggling in their first-round exit against Minnesota. It’s the third straight season in which his point total has dropped but that’s not uncommon at this stage of a player’s career.
Even if that trend were to continue, Benn could probably still provide strong value on another one-year deal structured similarly to the one he played on this past season. Whether that’s something the Stars can afford remains to be seen and it will be at least another week before we find out if Benn intends to continue his playing career.
