Jamie Benn has been a long fixture of the Dallas Stars organization, and it all started back when the Stars drafted him. He worked his way up from the Texas Stars and earned a spot in the Dallas Stars lineup. Once he got up to the NHL, there was no one telling him he had to go back down because he put in the long hours of practice. He forced the Dallas Stars to sign him to that eight-year contract extension. Now that the contract has expired, he's ready to return to the lineup.
Dallas Stars Head Coach Glenn Gulutzan announced that Benn would be making his season debut later tonight against the New York Islanders. He's been battling and recovering from a collapsed lung he suffered during the preseason. However, the Stars were able to fight through his absence, and now that he's back in the lineup, that should energize the team later tonight. It's going to be a good matchup against the Islanders later tonight as the Stars continue their winning streak.
Whenever Benn is in the lineup for a regular-season game, the team seems to have a spark of momentum. What I mean by that is the team wants to rally around their captain and beat the team they are playing. The team knows Benn has their back whenever he sticks up for his players in fights. That is something that will motivate a team to play at its best, regardless of whether they win or lose. Benn has brought that to the Stars' lineup whenever he's out there on the ice.
Now, it will be interesting to see where Benn is placed in the lineup tonight against the Islanders. You don't really want to screw with the top two lines, considering they have the best players on the team. My guess is he will be on the fourth line tonight, so that he can keep conditioning and build up his stamina again. That would be my guess of how the Stars use Benn tonight, but that could all change as the season moves along. I know everyone is excited, but I'm not expecting a lot from him tonight.
In conclusion, it's great to have Benn back in the lineup later tonight. He's the leader of this team, and even though the team has done well in his absence, his return should motivate it even more. It will be interesting to see how loud the AAC gets if they put Benn in the Dr. Pepper Starting Lineup tonight. Don't expect Benn to drop a hat trick, even though it would be nice to score his 400th career goal at home before the Stars hit the road again this week. Welcome back to the lineup, Jamie Benn. The team kept your seat warm on the bench in your absence.