Then NHL free agency season brought a number of high-end deals on the opening day including Milan Lucic at seven years and $6 million AAV with the Edmonton Oilers.
Once the frenzy of free agency passed on July 2nd, NHL clubs started locking up established and young talent to big deals including the Tampa Bay Lighting’s signing of Victor Hedman and Steve Stamkos to long-term, big dollar deals.
On Friday, Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars signed an even larger deal to remain with the Starts for the next eight years, until 2024-25.
The deal is for $76 million at an average rate of $9.5 million.
Left Wing Jamie Benn – file photo by Lewis Bleiman
“The Stars are the only organization I know and Dallas is home to me,” Benn said on the Stars website. “In working with the Gaglardi family (ownership) and Jim Nill (general manager), they have made it clear that they are dedicated to winning, and winning the right way. I’m happy to commit to that process for eight more years. My teammates and I value the passion and dedication that we receive from Stars fans and we’re looking forward to getting this season started.”
The deal gives the Stars a chance to build on their success and push deeper into the playoffs with a firmly planted star and captain.
“When you’re building a franchise, there’s certain players that are important to the franchise, and he’s as good as anybody there is,” Stars general manager Jim Nill said of the deal. “He’s one of the top players in the NHL, one of the top forwards. He’s in the prime of his career, he’s the leader of our team, and he’s a great person on top of it, so we’re very fortunate here in Dallas.”
The dollars continue to get bigger and the deals longer in an NHL locked in a struggle for fans, viewership and status.
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