Dallas Stars: Can Jamie Benn Win The Art Ross Again?

By Cole Mentzel | Sep 18, 2015

Jamie Benn is coming off of an incredible 2014-15 season where he won the Art Ross Trophy. Can he win it again in 2015-16?

John Tavares had the Art Ross Trophy all but locked up. Sure, there was a slim chance that Jamie Benn would catch him in the final game of the season, but that was a long-shot at best. Then it happened. In one of the most clutch performances of the season, Benn scored a hat trick and an assist in game #82 against the Predators. The trophy-winning point happened when he assisted Cody Eakin with only nine seconds left.

It was a brilliant way to end the season for a Stars team that missed the playoffs. The fans were as loud as they had been all season long and it seemed like a performance Stars fans would remember forever as Benn elevated his game to the highest level of play.

So, with Patrick Sharp being added to the equation in 2015-16, can Benn defend his award and win it again? The short answer to that question is “yes”, because of the pieces he has around him will give him more opportunities, rather than take opportunities. Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza and Patrick Sharp, the Stars three best players after Benn, are all very effective passers who rack up assists year in and year out.

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Seguin, Spezza and Sharp combined for 112 total assists in the 2014-15 season. There’s no question that Benn will have a nice support system in his quest. Plus, the Stars have effective goal scorers like Eakin, Roussel, Hemsky, Nichushkin and Eaves on other lines that Benn can slide pucks to with ease.

In the next few seasons, we should see him enter his prime years of play. With that on the horizon, Benn will be able to replicate the amount of goals that he scored last season (35) and possibly even improve on it. Some experts already think he is the best left wing in the game, and though he will be faced with the tough task of battling players like John Tavares, Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, he will be more than capable of winning the Art Ross again.

However, if he is not able to win it, there is another Dallas Stars player that could be in the running: Tyler Seguin. He only had ten points less than Benn last season but he missed a few weeks due to injury. In the span of 11 games last season (Nov. 18 – Dec. 13) Seguin scored 11 goals and recorded 5 assists. He had nine games last season where he scored at least two goals and had a few hat tricks along the way.

Tyler Seguin has the same type of lethal game in his arsenal that allows him to take over during important moments. In some ways, he is a better scorer that Benn, and he could’ve potentially won the Art Ross last season if he had not been injured.

The 2015-16 Stars are definitely a top-end offensive team and that will benefit all of the players involved. Jamie Benn has a great shot of winning the award again but don’t be surprised if his teammate, Tyler Seguin ends up with. That’s just how special the Stars duo is right now.

Next: Comparing Dallas Stars Forwards To Others In The NHL

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