The Dallas Stars signed captain Jamie Benn to a one-year contract extension worth $1 million in base salary plus up to $3 million in performance bonuses, the team announced.
Benn was set to become a pending unrestricted free agent this summer. He’d already said he wanted to stay in Dallas after wrapping up his 16th season with the organization.
“Jamie embodies everything it means to be a Dallas Star and has since he was drafted 18 years ago,” said general manager Jim Nill. “There was never a doubt that Jamie would return next season, and we are thrilled for both our organization and our fans that he will continue to lead our team in our pursuit of winning a championship.”
The deal leaves Dallas with roughly $980,000 in salary cap space, according to PuckPedia.
Dallas also re-signed veteran Matt Duchene this offseason. The Stars still have pending unrestricted free agents Mikael Granlund, Evgenii Dadonov, and Colin Blackwell to address.
Benn posted 16 goals and 33 assists for 49 points in 80 regular season games. He averaged 15:18 of ice time per game.
The playoffs were tougher for the soon-to-be 36-year-old left winger.
He managed just three points and posted a minus-11 rating as Dallas fell to Edmonton in the Western Conference Final. It’s the third straight year the Stars have been eliminated at that stage.
Benn ranks second in franchise history with 1,192 games played, 399 goals and 956 points. Hall of Famer Mike Modano holds the top spot in each category.
The Victoria native was a fifth-round pick in 2007. Dallas named him captain in 2013 when he was just 24 years old.
Benn made three straight All-Star teams from 2014-2016. He won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading scorer in 2015 with 87 points.
He just finished an eight-year, $76-million contract that carried a $9.5-million annual cap hit.
