Jamie Benn's got one season left on his contract, but don't worry, Dallas Stars fans, that'll soon change.
General manager Jim Nill was on SiriusXM NHL Network radio Wednesday and while acknowledging that contract negotiations with any player are always difficult, Benn's not going anywhere.
" ... We're going to get something done. He's the captain of our team," Nill said. "He's in the prime of his career. I know he wants to get it done before the season starts and so do we. We'll start working on that, and we're going to end up getting something done."
Benn will turn 27 on July 18. He followed up his career-best Art Ross Trophy-winning 2014-15 season with the best season of his career in 2015-16. He scored a career-high 41 goals and finished with 89 points, trailing only Patrick Kane in league scoring.
Set to earn $5.75 million in 2016-17, Benn is in line for a substantial raise on a long-term contract. And he's been remarkably durable. Benn's missed only one regular-season game over the past three seasons. He has 255 points in 245 games over that span, and 20 points in 19 career playoff games, all with Dallas.
A fifth-round pick in 2007, Benn is one of the league's elite talents, and will soon be paid like it.
- With H/T to Today's Slapshot
