Hey Heika: What has led to Jamie Benn's vintage performance in playoffs?

Well, this is a pleasant surprise.
I didn't feel I would be doing a "Hey Heika" before the Stanley Cup Final, but here we are.
The Stars have pushed through the oddest post-season in NHL history and now sit four wins away from an incredible championship in the Edmonton bubble. That not-so-simple process has changed a lot of the possible decisions that need to be made. And if they win it all, that could change even more.
But as we try to understand what has happened and as we try to imagine what might happen going forward, let's ponder a few questions and see what we get:

How 'bout them Stars? Jamie Benn has benn nothing short of incredible these playoffs. What do you think caused this resurgence in him? We haven't seen this version this consistently in a long time. Also, does Miro look tired to you? He just doesn't seem himself. -- @Justinschmidt88
Mike Heika:Jamie Benn has been spectacular, and from what I have heard, not just during the past couple of rounds. As soon as the NHL decided it was going forward and playing the playoffs, Benn has been a driving force in getting this team ready to play and getting them to believe that winning it all was a real possibility.
Maybe, that's because the 31-year-old realizes his own mortality in the game. Maybe it's because he understands that the team could have to make some significant changes going forward. Maybe he just really wants to win the Stanley Cup. Whatever the case, insiders say he is a huge driving force, and his "will" is rubbing off on his teammates. It's been fun to watch.
Miro Heiskanen does make mistakes -- all good skilled defensemen do. Anyone who has watched Erik Karlsson or Brent Burns knows that it's part of the job. Heck, John Klingberg gets roasted by fans all of the time for the mistakes he makes. So because Heiskanen plays 25 minutes a game and because he has the puck on his stick a lot, he's going to have some negatives to go with all of his positives.
I don't think he's worn down, I just think he's facing good teams in high-pressure situations. My guess is he will be fine in whatever minutes the teams plays him in the Stanley Cup Final.

Is there a chance we will see Bish in net for a game or two in Stanley Cup Final? Or will Dallas ride Dobby from here on out? What are you hearing? -- @Doubledub09
Heika:This was asked by a bunch of fans, so I apologize to those who didn't get featured.
I do think if Ben Bishop is healthy, he needs to be the back-up goalie. I also think if the league decides to play on back-to-back nights, the Stars need to at least consider using Bishop. Dallas has two great goalies, so it would be smart to at least have both ready to go.
That said, Anton Khudobin has earned this moment. He has been spectacular on the ice, and he has been a motivating factor off the ice, and you can tell that his entire being is a huge part of why the Stars are where they are.
Because the bubble allows teams to hide injury status, we don't know how healthy Ben Bishop is. If he gets close to 100 percent, I think he needs to go through warm-up and sit on the bench as a back-up to at least be ready to step in if the need arises. But, this is Anton Khudobin's gig right now.
I just got caught up on Rinky Dinking and enjoyed how much y'all spit balled back in April that came to be. Have you gone back to check some of the predictions? -- @librarymonkey11
Heika:I have not. Maybe I should. I do know I predicted Dallas to lose to Vegas in the Western Conference Final, so I thought I at least got close on that one.
However, I will go back to an old Jackson Browne song for some wisdom when it comes to predictions and the art of sports writing.
Phone calls long distance
To tell them how you've been
You forget about the losses
You exaggerate the wins
I always loved that sentiment. We all want to be geniuses.
If they can't bring Dobby back, will they hit up free agency for a backup goalie? Or are they comfortable/prepared to bring up Oettinger? -- @wlaf29
Heika:My guess is they would go with Jake Oettinger. I think this experience in the playoffs has been good for him, and I think he is ready for the job. The Stars had a run where they had Roman Turek, Manny Fernandez, Marty Turco, Mike Smith and Dan Ellis as young back-ups. I think it can work out for you and lead you into your next era.
How is Uncle Rico related to Kip and Napoleon's grandma? -- @larrynails1
Heika:The whole dynamic of the Dynamite family is a mystery. Where are the mom and dad? How much older is Kip than Napoleon? I've always imagined Uncle Rico was from the dad's side and that maybe the grandma was from the mom's side, but I do believe all of these relationships are open to interpretation.
Maybe that's the beauty of the film.
Any thoughts on rumors of Bishop potentially being available for trade over the offseason? Could re-signing Dobby and giving Oettinger a full-time backup role make sense for the org if a return on Bishop filled a need elsewhere? I can certainly see pros And cons... -- @nialleamonn
Heika:I don't think that will happen. One, he has a no-movement clause on his contract, which has three more years. Two, his salary drops to $3.5 million a year for the remainder of his contract. So, if the Stars wanted to go with a duo of Bishop and Anton Khudobin, they could afford to at least consider it (depending on how many years Khudobin wanted).
On the other hand, if you wanted to follow your scenario, that also would make sense. Because Bishop has an affordable contract and because he might want to be the No. 1 goalie, and because they don't want to put Oettinger completely on the backburner, maybe they could approach Bishop about a trade.
I still think Bishop will be back and the chances are better that Anton Khudobin might find a better offer elsewhere. Remember, Khudobin can become an unrestricted free agent, so he has as much say in all of this as anyone.

So whenever the 2020(?)-2021 season starts, who's on the Dallas Stars team? -- @PaulBradb
Heika:This is the part where I reference the intro and say that things might have changed because of this playoff run.
When it all started, I would have leaned toward the fact the Stars would not re-sign UFA's Anton Khudobin, Corey Perry, Mattias Janmark and Andrej Sekera. Now, I don't know. I still believe the best thing for this team going forward on what might be a tight budget is to trust that Jake Oettinger, Jason Robertson, Ty Dellandrea and Thomas Harley are ready to step up.
But if you win it all and you think this group has another run left in them, how do you not at least consider keeping some of these guys around? It's a quandary?
As I said with Khudobin, the UFAs also get to decide in how this works out. Dallas has to make room for raises that go to RFAs Radek Faksa, Denis Gurianov and Roope Hintz, and that will eat up a lot of the available cap space. To me, that means you could see plenty of rookies on the opening day roster next season, but I have been wrong before.
Is the lack of shots in the first half of games by design? Meaning, are they trying to run a set offense then are forced to abandon and "throw more pucks at the net" in order to score. -- @Call4Rod
Heika:No, Rick Bowness has been clear that their plan always is to play full out and try to take advantage of good defense creating offensive chances. He believes the team is trying to do the same thing in the first 10 minutes as they are in the last 10.
That said, sometimes other teams control the pace and force you into mistakes.
I think what these playoffs have shown is that the NHL is becoming a game of runs, much like the NBA. There are times when you have all of the momentum. There are times when you have none. You just have to control as much as you can control and ride the positivity when it's happening.
Which scenario most benefits the Stars: Tampa Bay defeating New York in 6 or the series going to 7 games? Riding the winning momentum or a few extra days of rest? -- @ChuckRobertson_
Heika: I think starting on Saturday would be good. That would give you rest, but also allow you to ride your momentum.
There is no hockey on TV tonight, what am I supposed to do? Actually talk to my wife? -- @timrobinson59
Heika: Scrabble is fun. I always record Jeopardy! And have at least five in the que. You could also watch old college football from 10 years ago. Lots of choices there.
Any idea how the team feels about bringing Janmark back? It seems like with his playoff emergence, Kiviranta could fill the same role next year, and perhaps a change of scenery could help Janmark find his scoring touch again. -- @benpatterson33
Heika:I like Mattias Janmark's game and think he has been a good buy at $2.3 million, but I also know that the Stars have other players they have to pay. The fact that Joel Kiviranta is under contract for $925,000 and has played very well in the playoffs could force a tough decision from the Stars here.

When is Expo going to tell the Sergei Zubov Thanksgiving story? -- @expo1310
Heika:My guess is around Thanksgiving. He could also tell it when the season is over. Whenever he gets around to it, it is a fun story. And by the way Kevin, we really need to appreciate how much fun we had back in the day.
What made you want to be a Sports Writer? And what are your favorite things about watching/writing for the Stars? -- @JakeRD_
Heika:I went to a junior college, so I had time to figure things out. I wanted to be a lawyer at first, but the classes weren't that fun and before I went to Central Michigan University, I decided to try sports writing. It's been a great decision for me.
I love to tell stories and try to find unique ways to include the fans in the journey, so that's what I like most. Daryl Reaugh calls it info-tainment, and I embrace that philosophy. Give them the facts, but find an interesting way to tell the story.
Any chance Stephen Johns is back for the Stanley Cup Final? -- @Rob8409316
Heika:We don't really know, so I just hold out hope that he's doing well. I don't know if he can jump in at this level of the playoffs, so I would guess he won't play, but my guess is just being up there with his teammates is a positive experience for him. If he could find a way to skate in practice, that would be a great sign, as well.

It looks like the Stars have changed to using the visitors locker room even when they're the home team in Edmonton, I feel like I remember then in both earlier. What changed? -- @threemadness
Heika:Great question, Hope. When the Eastern Conference teams came in, the Stars were given the visiting Western Hockey League dressing room because of their lower seed during the regular season and because of the some unusual dynamics of dressing room location. The league wanted the two teams from the Eastern Conference and the two teams from the Western Conference to be separated a little bit, so the Stars got the fourth choice, so to speak.
The set-up for the Cup Final will not include a team in the Oilers' home dressing room, so the Stars will get either the visiting NHL dressing room or the home WHL dressing room for the Oil Kings.
The league (and the teams) have decided its best to stay in one dressing room for each round and not switch back and forth for home or road games.
Hi Mike, any chance they shop Bishop around and maybe Seguin to load up for 3 years down the road with this young Finnish nucleus they already have? -- @drprosia
Heika: I wouldn't think so, but who knows where all of this is going.
Andrew Cogliano and Blake Comeau are up after next season, and Alexander Radulov and Joe Pavelski are up after 2021-22, so there's plenty of wiggle room there if you do indeed want to invest in the next wave of young players.
I think the biggest issue when you consider big names is that Miro Heiskanen is going to need a raise to somewhere near $10 million for 2021-22, and John Klingberg will also want to get up to a much higher level than the $4.25 million he has been making. The guess is you can't do both, so the logical assumption is they probably need to trade Klingberg at some point.
Do you ponder that decision when he has two years left on his current contract and could get you a major haul, or do you ride this out and see what Klingberg and Heiskanen can do together for at least another season and maybe two?
That might be the biggest decision this team has going forward.
Some submissions have been edited for brevity and clarity. Have a question for a future Hey Heika mailbag? Tweet it to @MikeHeika and use #HeyHeika.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika, and listen to his podcast.