FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill said Wednesday that captain Jamie Benn trained as hard as he ever has this summer and can play left or right wing. Training camp opens Thursday at Comerica Center.
Nill said Benn’s role will depend on where everybody slots.
“We know how important he is on and off the ice, but I expect he’s had a great summer,” Nill said. “He’s trained as hard as he’s ever trained. He looks lighter. He’s a big part of our team, and he’s going to fit in. He can play a lot of different roles, play different positions, left and right wing. In the end, we’ll see where everybody slots, but he’s a big part of our team.”
Jim Nill On Jamie Benn’s 2025-26 Season
Benn missed 20 games last season, according to the team. Nill said Benn’s production, apart from that missed time, was among his best of the last few years.
“You go back to last year, he had a pretty good year,” Nill continued. “You take away the time he missed, his production, it was one of his better years over the last two, three years, so we’re expecting the same thing again.”
Benn had 15 goals, 21 assists, and 36 points in 60 games and averaged 13:17 of ice time. Against the Minnesota Wild in the first round, he had no points in six games.
Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said earlier Wednesday that Benn trained like crazy this summer. Gulutzan also told Benn it was probably the skinniest he had seen him.
Jamie Benn’s Contract And Career With The Dallas Stars
Benn turned 37 on July 18. On July 3, he signed a one-year contract with an $850,000 base salary and up to $1.15 million in performance bonuses.
This will be Benn’s 18th NHL season, all of them with Dallas. The Stars drafted him in the fifth round, 129th overall, in 2007. He has 414 goals and 992 points in 1,252 regular-season games, so 8 more points would give him 1,000.
The preseason opens Saturday, Sept. 19, at the St. Louis Blues, with puck drop at 6 p.m. CT. Dallas opens the regular season against St. Louis on Oct. 2 at American Airlines Center at 8 p.m. CT on TNT.
