Stars’ Jamie Benn out day-to-day with upper-body injury

Dallas Stars captain and veteran winger Jamie Benn is out on a day-to-day basis with an upper-body injury, Stars head coach Glen Gulutzan told a group of reporters that included Stars beat writer Robert Tiffin.

Benn was held out of practice as a cautionary measure on Wednesday, though there does not seem to be much in the way of concern that the issue will prove to be serious.

The British Columbia native is entering his 17th season in the NHL, and he’s looking to bounce back after a challenging 2024-25 season that saw him take a step back in both goals and assists from the year prior on his way to a 16-goal, 33-assist effort.

With his contract up and Dallas facing a difficult salary cap crunch, Benn took a considerable pay cut to return to the only franchise he’s ever known and remain as the team’s captain, signing a one-year, $1 million contract with up to $3 million available in performance bonuses.

The Stars are two games into their preseason slate, with wins over the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild in a shootout and overtime, respectively, in the books.

Dallas has four more tune-ups on the schedule before getting the regular season underway on October 9 on the road against the Winnipeg Jets.

The Stars are looking to maintain their status as one of the top Stanley Cup contenders the league has to offer, though they’ll be hoping to finally get over the hump in the postseason.

In each of the past three seasons, Dallas has eclipsed the 100-point mark with ease in the regular season, only to get ousted in the Western Conference Final after a pair of playoff series wins each year.

Once Benn returns to health, he’ll slot in as a valuable depth piece for a forward group that boasts some of the best top-end talent the league has to offer.