The Dallas Stars have had a terrific season up to this point, with captain Jamie Benn helping lead the way. Benn, now 34, is finally starting to slow down and is nearing the final seasons of his terrific career. Except for a very strong 2022-23 season, Benn has been declining for the past six years or so. But at his peak, he was one of the premier players in the NHL and built himself a strong resume of accolades. The question is simple is Benn a future Hall of Famer?
Benn’s Resume
Once the 129th overall pick in the 2007 Draft, Benn quickly became known as one of the biggest steals of the 2000s. The former Kelowna Rocket had a terrific junior career, highlighted by a gold medal win at the 2009 World Junior Championships. Benn shocked many by making the NHL at age 20, which is almost unheard of for players taken in the 5th round. As a rookie, he made an impact right away, scoring 22 goals and 41 points while playing all 82 games in the regular season. Benn improved almost every year with the Stars until the 2013-14 season, which is not only when he was named captain of the team but finally broke out. The power forward was no longer just a strong top-6 player but now a full-blown star in the NHL.
Benn’s peak was no doubt from 2013-14 to 2017-18. Over this time frame, he was one of the top players in the entire NHL, ranking fourth in goals and third in points (stats: statmuse.com). On top of this, during this period, he added numerous awards to his collection. He won an Olympic Gold Medal in 2014 with Team Canada, the Art Ross Trophy in 2014-15, and was nominated as a Hart and Ted Lindsay Trophy finalist in 2015-16. Since then, his play and production has dropped, with the exception of the 2022-23 season, where he racked up 78 points, but Benn has still been a strong player and leader for the Stars. Benn has led the Stars to the playoffs four of the past five seasons, including the Stanley Cup Final in 2020, as well as the Western Conference Final in 2023. The Stars have another strong team this season, and he and the rest of the team are looking to win the Stars’ first Cup since 2000.
Has Benn Done Enough to Make the Hall of Fame?
As mentioned before, Benn has accumulated numerous awards over his great NHL career. An Art Ross Trophy, a World Junior Gold, an Olympic Gold, a Ted Lindsay and Hart Trophy finalist, and captaining a team to the Stanley Cup Final is one heck of a resume. To compare him to a more recent Hall of Fame inductee, we’ll look at Henrik Lundqvist, who was just inducted last year.
In terms of awards, Lundqvist has a similar resume to Benn’s. Lundqvist has a Vezina Trophy, an Olympic Gold, and a Cup Final loss, as well as being a Hart Trophy finalist and a numerous Vezina Trophy finalist. Looking at just the awards themselves, there isn’t a massive difference between the two, but there is one more big thing to consider: longevity. Lundqvist has over a decade of being one of the NHL’s top goalies.
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From his first season in the league (2005-06) to 2016-17, Lundqvist was one of the best goalies in the league every year, being a consistent Vezina contender and leading the New York Rangers on numerous deep playoff runs. Benn, on the other hand, has a much shorter peak, that being the previously mentioned years from 2013-14 to 2017-18, which is only five seasons. While Benn may play longer in general than Lundqvist (Benn is currently in his 15th season while Lundqvist played just 15), Lundqvist’s longer peak on top of his awards gives him a stronger resume than Benn.
What Does Benn Need to Do to Ensure a Spot in the Hall of Fame?
The answer is pretty simple, if Benn can lead the Stars to a Stanley Cup, he’ll almost guarantee his spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame (HHof). Benn is more than likely not going to win any more individual awards at this point in his career, but captaining his team to their second-ever Stanley Cup would likely book him a spot in the HHof. Even without a Stanley Cup, Benn does still have an argument for a spot in the HHof. He’s won individual awards, team awards, and led his team to multiple deep playoff runs as captain.
One thing on Benn’s side, however, is the Stars team looks like one of the top contenders for the Stanley Cup this year, and if there’s any time for this team to win that elusive Cup, this season may be it. Let’s see if Benn and the Stars can do it.