Jamie Benn took a crazy pay cut to stay in Dallas

The Dallas Stars are in a special position in terms of the salary cap. After all, there isn’t much of a surplus.

Even if the salary cap goes up in the next few years, the Stars have so many youngsters to pay that decisions have to be made in Texas.

The Mason Marchment deal… the Jason Robertson rumours… it all stems from there, in fact.

What will help GM Jim Nill, however, is the fact that Jamie Benn’s $9.5 M per year contract is up in a few days. This creates a certain amount of leeway.

We’ve always known that the player wanted to stay in Dallas, the only organization he’s played for in his career. But to do so, he would have to take a pay cut.

And clearly, he got the message.

Benn, who turns 36 in a few weeks, agreed to go from $9.5 million to $1 million plus bonuses. That’s what Pierre LeBrun reported this morning on X.

Jamie Benn deal should be announced in the next hour. Hearing it’s a one-year, 35-plus deal, $1 million base salary and $3M in bonuses, so $4M total. https://t.co/6cCdPF2YXb

– Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 26, 2025

The guy knows he’s at the end of his career and he knows he’s made his money. He wants to stay in Dallas and he’s chosen to act like a captain by making room for the other players on the club.

Hats off to him!

One of the advantages of bonuses (he could earn an additional $3 million in bonuses) is that if he doesn’t perform well, he won’t be overpaid. And if he scores another fifty points, he’ll be worth every penny of his contract in tax-advantaged Texas.

The other advantage of bonuses, which are only available for rookie contracts, players who have had major injuries and those 35 and over? If you don’t have room on your payroll to swallow them, you can carry them over to the following year.

Well done Benn, then. After all, he would certainly have had more elsewhere, but he chose to remain loyal to the Stars.

And that’s a credit to him.

in Overtime

– Patrick Kane is not expected to leave Michigan.

Chris Johnston: Patrick Kane is “of a mind to stay” in Detroit – Chris Johnston Show

– NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) June 26, 2025

– Stars coach: decision imminent?

Also sounds like the @DallasStars are finalizing their head coaching decision. Glen Gulutzan and Neil Graham are believed to be favoured. https://t.co/3YX1x1Ms3b

– Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 26, 2025

– Malcolm Spence: one to watch in the draft. [TVAS]

– Interesting.