Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn will miss the start of the 2025-26 season.
Stars GM Jim Nill announced Thursday that Benn will undergo surgery Thursday for a collapsed lung.
Benn suffered the injury late in the third period of Tuesday’s preseason game against Minnesota. He is expected to make a full recovery and will be reevaluated in four weeks.
“Late in the third period, Jamie took a hit,” Nill said Thursday. “It wasn’t a big hit. He was turning to protect the puck, and the guy came in behind. Just wrong place.”
Sports Roundup
Nill said Benn went to the bench and told team staff something felt off. Team doctors conducted an x-ray at American Airlines Center and found a small hole in his lung. He was taken to Parkland Hospital that night where he’s been since.
Doctors told Nill that Benn cannot fly on an airplane or participate in any physical activity for four weeks. After Oct. 23, Nill said Benn should be able to skate and start light contact.
Benn would miss at least the first seven regular-season games on that timeline.
The Stars captain has played in 326 of the Stars’ last 328 regular-season games. He missed two games late last season for the birth of his son and maintenance. Up until those games, he had the fifth-longest active streak of games played in the NHL.
The 2025-26 season will be Benn’s 17th in the NHL and with the Stars. He was a free agent over the summer but returned to Dallas on a one-year deal worth $1 million. He is one goal shy of 400 in his career but will have to wait a little longer to reach that milestone.
Before Benn’s injury, the Stars roster was close to set. But his absence could open up an opportunity for a younger player to crack the opening-night lineup in Winnipeg on Oct. 9.
“You deal with this all the time, but it’s part of the game,” Nill said. “It’s an opportunity for somebody else. Jamie’s a big part of our team, but we’ll be OK.”
On X/Twitter: @Lassimak
Find more Stars coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.