Stars' Jamie Benn Inching Toward Return

Six weeks after undergoing surgery for a collapsed lung, Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn returned to the ice with his teammates for the first time during the team’s optional morning skate ahead of its game against the Anaheim Ducks. He’d been skating on his own for nearly two weeks before rejoining the full group today.

Benn’s return to being with the team is an encouraging step in the right direction toward him being available to play at some point in the future. Still, according to Stars head coach Glen Gulutzan, he’s not quite ready to get back into game action, and the timetable for that to happen is still uncertain.

Jamie Benn is out here for an optional morning skate ahead of Anaheim.

First time we have seen him with the group since his surgery. pic.twitter.com/j9LCH6sNSC
— Sam Nestler (@samnestler) November 6, 2025

Any sort of progress is good news for Benn and the Stars, and him being back on the ice with his teammates is certainly that.

The Stars’ captain suffered the collapsed lung in a preseason game against the Minnesota Wild on Sept. 23. Benn left the game in the middle of the third period with what the team initially called an “upper-body injury.” Two days later, it was announced that it was a bit more serious — Benn had undergone successful surgery to repair a collapsed lung, and he’d be unable to return to hockey activities for at least four weeks.

Stars Need Benn’s Leadership

Benn’s long been the most important figure in the locker room for the Stars. And while his hockey abilities have dwindled with age, his presence on and off the ice has been noted time and again as a crucial aspect of why Dallas has been so successful over the past decade.

Winning a Stanley Cup with the team he’s been with his entire career has always been important to Benn, and he, as well as the team, made that known after he signed a one-year, $1 million contract extension this past summer that’s well below what he probably could get on the open market.

Jamie Benn, Forever a Star ⭐️

We have signed Captain Jamie Benn to a one-year contract extension through the 2025-2026 season.

📰 MORE: https://t.co/bY4uSWw2Sw @shift4 | #TexasHockey pic.twitter.com/cj1mlFYKEu
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) June 26, 2025

“Jamie embodies everything it means to be a Dallas Star and has since he was drafted 18 years ago,” Jim Nill, the Stars’ general manager, said after signing Benn to the contract extension this past summer. “There was never a doubt that Jamie would return next season, and we are thrilled for both our organization and our fans that he will continue to lead our team in our pursuit of winning a championship.”

Dallas Has Been Hammered With Injuries

Other important forwards crucial to the success of the Stars’ attack who have been out include Matt Duchene, who suffered an upper-body injury earlier in the season and isn’t likely to return soon, and Roope Hintz. While Hintz might be back as soon as tonight’s game against the Ducks, the absence of all three players has hampered the team’s ability to score.

Despite the rash of injuries, the Stars are 7-3-3 and sit fourth in the Central Division with 17 points — one behind the Winnipeg Jets and Utah Mammoth, and four back of the Colorado Avalanche.

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