Stars’ Jamie Benn to undergo surgery for collapsed lung

One of the notable veterans in the NHL today is going to miss some time.

On Thursday, Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill announced that forward Jamie Benn will be undergoing surgery for a collapsed lung.

According to a release from the team, Benn was diagnosed with the injury in the late stages of the Stars’ game against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night. It was the team’s first game of the preseason, in which Benn registered 15:47 of ice time across 21 shifts. He posted no points, nor did he put a shot on goal. The 36-year-old did account for one hit in Dallas’ 3-2 overtime win.

When speaking to the media on Wednesday, head coach Glen Gulutzan noted that Benn was considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The Stars do expect the veteran winger to make a full recovery, but he will be reevaluated in four weeks.

That means Benn will not only miss the start of the regular season, but will be out of the lineup for the first four games of the season, at least.

Benn is coming into an interesting season. For his 17th year in the league, all with Dallas, the Victoria, B.C. native signed a one-year contract, with an AAV of $4 million, thanks to $3 million in performance bonuses. Despite appearing in 80 games in 2024-25, Benn had his lowest offensive production in three years. He notched just 16 goals and 33 assists for 49 points. Far from his performance over the previous two campaigns, where Benn posted at least 60 points.

Benn also scored just three points in 18 games during last year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, as the Stars made it all the way to the Western Conference Final for the third year in a row.

In his time with the Stars, Benn has played 1,192 games, scoring 399 goals and 557 assists for 956 points. He has also registered 80 points in 120 postseason affairs.