Back and beaming: Jamie Benn gearing up to lead Stars on another Cup run

One of my favorite activities during the summer is lying on the couch and watching AXS TV.

The cable music network airs all sorts of content from my era, including a favorite, new wave from the ‘80s and ‘90s.

And as I watched a bio on Depeche Mode recently, they took a good look at the video for their song “Enjoy the Silence.” Singer Dave Gahan is dressed up as a king, wandering across various landscapes while seeking what appears to be an unknown “something.”

It always reminds me of Jamie Benn.

The Stars captain clearly has had the time to become comfortable in his cloak, but he also has endured an arduous journey in search of the Stanley Cup. Like the character in the video, Benn often makes these journeys in a quiet way, with thoughts he likes to keep to himself.

“Words are very unnecessary…” as the song says.

And after I pondered that image over the past month or so, I was struck by Benn’s attitude on Thursday at the opening of training camp. During his presser, the 37-year-old was affable and even told a couple of jokes along the way. When asked about the return of good friend and longtime teammate Tyler Seguin from injury, Benn deadpanned that Seguin won the “fitness” competition this year, alluding to the fact that the league has done away with that measuring stick for the first time. Asked about the training and fitness level of the younger players, Benn said while shooting a devilish grin at former players Brent Severyn and Daryl Reaugh: “It’s not the beer and chicken wing league anymore. I’m not naming any names…”

It was a sharp contrast to the growly Benn or quiet Benn we have known throughout his 18-year career. It’s a lighter version that could be just what this team needs.

“He is the leader in there, there’s no doubt,” coach Glen Gulutzan said. “But he does it in a way that’s inclusive and the guys who are behind him, they have a voice, so he has help.”

The guess is the captain has not completely mellowed, just become tenderized by his seasoning. He knows he is not the physical presence he has been or the scoring presence, either, but he is working on contributing in different ways.

“He’s had a great summer. He’s trained as hard as he’s ever trained,” GM Jim Nill said. “He’s a big part of our team. If you get back to last year, he had a pretty good year and we’re expecting the same thing again.”

While Gulutzan added that just watching him over the summer is a testament to his leadership.

“He is really lean,” Gulutzan said. “One of the things you admire about your captain is he did things differently than he normally would. He went out and skated and practiced, so good for him.”

Benn said the game is faster and he needs to be able to keep up. He’s never been known as a fast skater, but he has worked hard to get better.

“It’s adjusting to the game and your body,” he said. “The game is fast, a lot faster than when I first started, so you’ve got to adjust to keep up. Diet is a big part of it, training and skating. Back in the day, we didn’t skate a lot in the summer because you had time in camp. Now, you’ve got about a week before training camp is over.”

The league has gone to 84 games this year and started earlier. Dallas is in a tough Central Division and needs to get out of the gate quickly. Benn hopes to be a part of that, especially when the team went out in the first round last season.

“We’ve got to be honest with ourselves and figure out what tweaks we need to make,” Benn said.

Some of that is teamwide, some of it is personal. Benn said he has been pleased with the push to share the leadership mantle. Yes 30-somethings in Seguin and Matt Duchene will be there, but so will Miro Heiskanen (27), Esa Lindell (32), Roope Hintz (29), Jason Robertson (27), Jake Oettinger (27), Thomas Harley (25) and Wyatt Johnston (23).

“We’ve got a whole whack of them on this team,” Benn said of players hungry to lead. “We’ve been through a lot and you check out years played on these guys, it’s more than you think. Even Wyatt is in his fifth year. That went by pretty fast. Wyatt, Harls, pretty much half this team has been here for a while [along with] Miro, Roope, Es. That’s what’s nice about the captain is that I’m not just the captain, I’ve got a bunch of leaders in this room and it’s great to see them grow.”

The irony is that Benn is a dad now and understands the feeling better than ever. The captain is taking bargain bin cap hits in hopes of finally winning the Cup. The man who is second all-time in franchise history in games played (1,252), goals (414) and points (992) deserves more than the $875,000 cap hit, but likes what his decision creates. Like Benn, the Stars are leaner this year, but they have brought back the large majority of their roster – despite the fact they have not made the Final since 2020.

“Just because something didn’t work, doesn’t mean you have to blow it up,” he said. “I’d rather go through the battles with these guys again.”

The journey has been long for Benn, but it’s not over yet. Before it is, he might even have some words to say.

Let’s hope they are funny.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on X @MikeHeika.