Dallas Stars: Jamie Benn’s Contract Compared To Connor McDavid’s
By Josh Clark
In today’s salary cap era in the NHL, it can be difficult to keep your team balanced when trying to pay their superstars. For Jim Nill, that hasn’t been a problem with the Dallas Stars, and that is very impressive.
There’s no doubt that Connor McDavid is the NHL’s brightest young star. After all, the second-year star hit the 100-point mark last season and won the Art Ross Trophy for the most points of any player in the league. He did all of this before his 21st birthday.
To put things in perspective: when he went to Las Vegas in June to attend the NHL Awards show and claim his trophy, he was unable to go into any of the casinos or bars. That’s unreal.
He was the undeniable no. 1 pick in 2015 and the Edmonton Oilers are flourishing now due to his talent. McDavid was named the captain of the team during the 2016 offseason, making him the youngest captain in history. After one season at the helm, it’s clear that they made the right choice.
On July 5, they rewarded the 20-year-old with a hefty paycheck. McDavid’s three-year entry level deal that he signed in 2015 will expire in the 2018 offseason. That being said, it was a priority that the Oilers locked up their biggest future piece this summer.
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And they did, signing McDavid to an eight-year extension worth $100 million ($12.5 million AAV) that will kick in at the beginning of the 2018-19 season. The contract locks him up in Edmonton through the 2025-26 season. In the 2026 offseason, he will be 29 and likely be entering his prime, so another big contract could be in store at that rate.
This contract will make McDavid the highest-paid player in the league once it kicks in, giving him a lot to live up to. His cap hit of $12.5 million makes him the highest by a while, with Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Carey Price coming in second at $10.5 million at the beginning of the 2018-19 season.
That’s incredible for such a young player. There is plenty of risk to come along with paying a 20-year-old $100 million over an eight-year frame. Even with the talent, the future is uncertain and it takes a large chunk out of a team’s $75 million in available cap space.
And that’s why it’s important to realize just how intelligent Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill is when signing players, specifically the Stars’ most important piece: their captain.
Around this time last offseason, Nill was deep in talks with Jamie Benn on signing the then 27-year-old to a long-term deal, considering his contract was set to expire in 2017. The talks moved quickly and easily, and Benn was locked in by July 15, just two weeks after starting negotiations.
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The Stars secured him on an eight-year extension with an AAV and cap hit of $9.25 million. He turns 28 on July 18, which means that Dallas has him locked up until age 36. That’s well through his prime and the high points in his career.
Let’s take a look at this for a moment. Benn’s contract has him making an average of $3.25 million less per year than McDavid. That’s a first overall pick up against a 129th overall pick.
But if there was a redraft done from the 2017 class, Benn would most definitely be a top-two pick (along with Patrick Kane). His talents go well beyond that of a regular fifth-round pick.
Jamie Benn is considered by many to be the ultimate hockey player. He’s considered this because of his ability to contribute in any area of the game.
He’s a dynamic scorer that can put up 80-90 points a year when healthy, is an extremely reliable player who rarely ever misses a game, can contribute consistently on the power play and penalty kill, uses his frame to his advantage and gets physical when needed on the forecheck and back check, and can play stout defense. Not to mention his sound leadership qualities and abilities.
In other words, he does everything for the Dallas Stars besides strapping on the pads and playing in the crease. Very few hockey players can do all of this at such an efficient rate like Benn can. That’s why he’s so valuable to the franchise and would be to any other team.
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But the fact that Nill was able to lock him up at such an affordable rate (considering his talents) is nothing short of impressive. Not to say that McDavid doesn’t have his own share of talents, but he still has to continue proving himself. Benn has done that over the past seven years.
With McDavid’s contract, the Oilers might find themselves handcuffed in free agent negotiations over the next few years because of the hefty cap hit. With Benn’s contract, the Stars still have space to make things happen.
$3.25 million less is an awfully sizable gap. That’s the value of an extra depth player, which Nill has plenty of to re-sign on a regular basis.
Jamie Benn made it clear to Nill in negotiations that he wanted to remain with Dallas for the long haul and would do anything necessary to make it happen. The fact that he fully bought into a southern, non-traditional hockey market that has seen its fair share of struggle over the past decade is exciting, but the fact that Nill was able to make it worthwhile for both sides is incredible.
Next: Jim Nill Enjoying His Best Offseason Yet As GM Of Stars
All in all, the price for superstars is rather expensive nowadays, but it takes an ingenious GM to walk the tightrope and figure it out. Jim Nill has proven countless times (take Ben Bishop and John Klingberg, for example) that he can be that GM.
And with Tyler Seguin on deck for a renewal, the Dallas Stars faithful should not only feel calm, but confident.