The Dallas Stars recently signed Jordie Benn to a three-year contract extension. They can soon sign his younger brother and team captain Jamie Benn to an extension that will be far more lucrative.
The 26-year-old Benn finished second in the league with 89 points in 82 games during the regular season and was a finalist for the Hart Trophy. He’s entering the final year of his five-year, $26.25 million and would be a pending UFA after next season.
And the Stars are bent on keeping Benn beyond 2016-17, as soon as they’re eligible to sign him to an extension.
Jim Nill intends to sign captain Jamie Benn to an extension after July 1. "Jamie's not going anywhere. We'll get something done."
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) June 25, 2016
Benn, who has risen from a fifth-round pick in 2007 to an Olympic gold medalist and star in the NHL, has already gone on record as saying he wants to play in Dallas, so it seems the two sides are on the same page there.
From the Dallas Morning News in May:
Benn, who is one of three finalists for the Hart Trophy as league MVP, is probably in the market for a deal similar to the eight years, $80 million that was recently signed by Anze Kopitar of the Kings. While Benn could become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2017, he said he doesn’t want to leave the Stars.
The Stars right now have three forwards -- Jason Spezza, Tyler Seguin and Cody Eakin -- signed through 2018-19, with Spezza holding the most expensive cap hit at $7.5 million, as per General Fanager.
Related: Dallas GM doesn’t think Kopitar deal will affect Benn negotiations