The second in a series looking at how a potential year-long lockout would affect the Dallas Stars as a team and an organization.
At the moment, Jamie Benn is still without a contract. There's a zero chance of him leaving Dallas, but it's obvious that the Stars are waiting to see what happens with the new CBA before signing him.
Anyone that watches the Stars knows that Benn is the future captain of the team. He's the best player and has the on ice-passion and work ethic to eventually have that ‘C' stitched across his chest.
He hasn't quite grown enough on the off ice stuff just yet though (he's only 23-years-old). This ties in somewhat with the fan base thing as the captain is the face of the team. That means dealing with the media. That means locker room presence. That means knowing that the burden of winning and losing falls on his shoulders.
Benn needs a year or two as an assistant captain and slowly taking on more responsibilities with the team and to become more of a public figure. He needs to take in as much as he can from Morrow and Robidas before they're gone (and Alex Goligoski as well, though he won't be gone anytime soon).
Most of all though, it's a crime to steal a year from the fans of watching Jamie Benn play hockey in person.
For more coverage of the Stars as well as further NHL lockout news and analysis, check out Defending Big D as well as the SB Nation Dallas StoryStream.