Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn will undergo surgery to treat a collapsed lung, Stars GM Jim Nill said Thursday.
In a statement, Nill revealed that Benn was diagnosed with the injury on Tuesday during the late stages of the third period in their pre-season game against the Minnesota Wild. Around the six-minute mark of the final frame, Benn was seen leaving toward the bench in some distress, but there was no clear indicator of what caused the injury in the lead-up to him skating off.
The left winger is expected to make a full recovery from his injury eventually but will be reevaluated in four weeks.
With that timeline, Benn will miss the remainder of training camp and pre-season, as well as about seven regular-season games.
Benn is entering a 13th season as Stars captain, making him one of the longest-tenured captains who are active in the NHL.
The 36-year-old has played 16 NHL seasons, all for the Stars. Last season, he played 80 games, scoring 16 goals and 49 points. In the last three campaigns, he's averaged between 15 and 16 minutes of ice time.
Last season, he spent most of his time on the left wing beside center Wyatt Johnston and right winger Evgenii Dadonov.
In the post-season, his production dropped as his team advanced to the Western Conference final for the third straight year. He recorded three points in 18 playoff appearances.
In the off-season, Benn and the Stars agreed on a one-year contract that carries a $1 million base salary. He can earn up to $3 million in performance bonuses, including $500,000 each at 20, 30, 50 and 60 games played, $500,000 for a third-round playoff win if he plays in half of Dallas' games, and $500,000 for a Stanley Cup win with the same criteria.
Benn has played 1,192 games in his career, scoring 399 goals and 557 assists, putting him just 44 points back of reaching 1,000 points. He would be the second player in the Stars’ franchise history to reach the century mark, alongside Mike Modano.
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