Where does Jamie Benn rank amongst Dallas Stars greats?
By Greg Higgins
Confession time. Last year at this time I was one of those people who believed the Dallas Stars should probably think about moving on from Jamie Benn. As someone who’s making $9.5 million a year, I wasn’t sure he was living up to the contract.
Benn played in all 82 games last season and only managed 18 goals and 28 assists. For his career, Jamie Benn has averaged .82 points per game. Last year, the Dallas Stars captain was at .56 points per game. So it’s easy to see why someone would think perhaps its time to move on. Well, I’m here to say I stand corrected.
Where does Jamie Benn rank amongst the Dallas Stars greats?
This season, the captain has shown myself and the rest of the Dallas Stars’ fans that he’s still a force to be reckoned with. So far in 68 games this season, Benn has 29 goals on the season. This already ranks has his fifth best season for goals. This is also his seventh best season when it comes to assists (36).
Benn recently celebrated game number 1,000 of his career. The 33 year old has spent that entire career in a Dallas Stars uniform. And he’s had the captain’s C on his chest since September of 2013. He’s the longest player in franchise history to wear the C.
So where does Jamie Benn rank in Dallas Stars history? He’s second in games played behind Mike Modano with 1,016. He’s second in goals scored behind Modano with 358. He trails Modano and Broten in assists with 476. He also trails those two in points but he’s only 33 away from second place on that list.
He ranks ninth in franchise history in plus/minus. He’s fourth in power play goals. He’s second in game-winning goals. He’s tied for third in hat tricks.
Stats don’t always tell the story about a player but when it comes to these numbers, there is no denying how great Benn has been for the Dallas Stars. After a down year last season, he’s bounced back nicely and has helped lead the charge for the Stars. As a matter of fact, he’s one of the reasons Dallas is in first place right now.
It’s not hard to imagine that sometime in the future, the number 14 will be hanging from the rafters at the American Airlines Center. And this guy will be there to cheer that moment on. Last year, I thought they should move on. This year, I’m glad they didn’t.