Jamie Benn and the Dallas Stars seem to be in a good spot with their captain and some kids

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn is 35 years old, going into the final season of his contract and surrounded by a bunch of kids.

Some high-scoring kids, too, such as Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston, who have been to the Western Conference Final each of the past two seasons and maybe can help Benn finally win the Stanley Cup. The Stars could be in as good a spot as they have been since Benn made his NHL debut 15 years ago this month.

“Yeah, I think so,” Benn said. “We’ve got a great group of guys here, a lot of young kids that are ready to play right now and full of energy. I think we have all the pieces to do great things here.”

Benn is approaching the end of his $76 million, eight-year contract extension just like any other season. He wasn't interested in looking beyond that when speaking with general manager Jim Nill during the offseason.

“He was very clear: ‘Jim, I just want to win this year and make decisions from there.’ He's all about the team," Nill said. “He's the captain of the team. He's made it very clear that it's all about winning."

Hall of Fame center Mike Modano is the only player in franchise history with more than Benn's 1,112 regular-season games, 383 goals, 907 points, 58 game-winning goals and 2,905 shots. Benn's 102 postseason games include the Stanley Cup Final that the Stars lost to Tampa Bay in six games at the end of the pandemic-altered 2019-20 season.

“My plan, as long as I'm the GM here, he's going to be a Dallas Star. He's earned that right,” Nill said. “He’s a little bit of a unicorn, not a lot of players left in the league like him. He’s a blend of the skills, the physicality, the determination.”

Benn has played in all 82 games each of the past three regular seasons, and his average time on the ice has intentionally been reduced during that time. That was part of the plan under coach Pete DeBoer, who was hired two years ago and consistently rolls four lines.

In the first season under DeBoer, Benn had 33 goals and 78 points for his best totals since 2017-18, and a career-best plus-23 rating, even with an average ice time of 15:47 that was his lowest since his 2009-10 rookie season. That was down to 15:07 last year, when he had 21 goals and 60 points.

“I feel pretty good,” Benn said. “The older you get, obviously the more you know your body and what you need, what you don’t need and things like that. I think we’ve all managed pretty well the last couple of years here."

As for the fresher legs, the 25-year-old Robertson was the Stars' leading scorer each of the past two seasons while averaging nearly 1.2 points per game. The 21-year-old Johnston was the top goal scorer with 32 last season, when Benn was among eight 20-goal scorers. Robertson and Johnston are expected to be on the top line with Roope Hintz, who at 27 is going into his seventh season and has averaged nearly 71 points the past three years.

“Not only can I help them out throughout a long season, but they can help me too. They bring a lot of energy and I try to keep up,” Benn said. “And, you know, it’s looking like I’ll have two more young kids to play alongside this year, and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Indeed, two more homegrown rookies could have prominent roles this season.

Logan Stankoven is still considered a rookie even though he played 43 games — 19 in the playoffs — after his NHL debut in late February. Mavrik Bourque, a 2020 first-round pick who was the AHL MVP and leading scorer last season, made his NHL debut with one regular-season game and one in the postseason.

Benn's older brother, Jordie, is also back in the Stars organization, now a player development assistant and AHL scout. His transition to the front office comes after 12 NHL seasons, his first 302 games as his brother's teammate from 2012-17.

“We can’t play this game forever, but taking the next step in his hockey journey and, you know, pretty cool to see him around the rink here,” Jamie Benn said. “I guess now with him being done, looking back, it’s pretty cool to play with each other and cool for our family. It was something we'll never forget.”

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL

Stephen Hawkins, The Associated Press