Dallas Stars GM: ‘Benn and Seguin remind me of Toews and Kane’

Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill thinks his team has a pair of players that could be the cornerstone of his franchise for years to come in Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn.

Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill thinks his team has a pair of players that could be the cornerstone of his franchise for years to come in Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn.

Nill recently compared Benn and Seguin to two key parts of the Chicago Blackhawks’ dynasty—Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane—and said he thinks the Stars have a chance to have a similar level of success.

“We’re not there, but we think we’re on pace with where our players are at,” Nill said, according to Yahoo! Sports. “Benn and Seguin remind me of Toews and Kane when they were 22, 23, 24 years of age. And I think we’re trying to get there. We’re close, I think.”

Toews and Kane both debuted with the Blackhawks in the 2007–08 season and have won three Stanley Cups since, including two in the past three years. 

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Benn, 25, and Seguin, 23, have played together for the past two seasons, scoring a combined 327 points. Toews and Kane have combined for 265 points in that span, though they played in 27 fewer games. 

The Stars missed the playoffs last season but have been very active this off-season. Dallas added two members of Chicago’s 2015 Stanley Cup team—Patrick Sharp and Johnny Oduya—as well as goalie Antti Niemi, who was the backup on the 2010 Blackhawks championship team. 

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- Dan Gartland