Stars captain Jamie Benn sidelined for at least a month with collapsed lung

Stars captain Jamie Benn will be out for at least the next four weeks after suffering a collapsed lung Tuesday in a 3-2 overtime win against Minnesota.

“In the last exhibition game against Minnesota, late in the third period Jamie took a hit that collapsed his lung,” Stars GM Jim Nill said Thursday. “He will be re-evaluated after four weeks,” Nill added. “He can’t fly for four weeks, but we expect a full recovery.”

Nill said Benn went to the bench and said he didn’t feel good after a late shift. The trauma doctors X-rayed him at American Airlines Center and found a hole in his lung. He went to Parkland hospital for observation and they decided on surgery.

Nill said Benn will start skating and working his way back into the lineup in four weeks. The 36-year-old forward is the oldest player on the team and has logged 1,192 career regular-season games, second in franchise history only to Mike Modano’s 1,459.

Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said he thinks Benn will be pushing to return.

“Whatever timelines you’re putting on it, I think he has a different one,” Gulutzan said.

Benn has played in all but two games over the past four seasons, but Nill said they will be able to fill in for his leadership.

“I’m not concerned,” Nill said. “We have a good room and for Jamie, that doesn’t mean he won’t be around.”

Among the players to wear the A’s as alternate captains in recent years are Tyler Seguin, Esa Lindell, Miro Heiskanen, Matt Duchene and Wyatt Johnston.

“It’s tough when it’s your captain, your leader in the locker room,” Gulutzan said. “But he’s going to be back. You’re glad it’s now. It’s a big loss for us, we’ll have to patch and fill and go from there.”

After losing Mason Marchment, Mikael Granlund and Evgenii Dadonov this past offseason, the expectation was that Benn would play a key role on the left wing. Now, the Stars will likely have to look at players like Mavrik Bourque, Sam Steel and Seguin to possibly play the left side, and could also look at AHL players like Justin Hryckowian, Antonio Stranges, Kole Lind and Arttu Hyry, among others.

“You deal with this all of the time,” Nill said. “That’s part of the game. Players are going to get injured and you have to deal with it. It’s an opportunity for somebody else.”

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.