It’s February 27th, 2017 – the Dallas Stars have traded longtime bottom-four defenseman Jordie Benn to the Montreal Canadiens for relatively unknown righty Greg Pateryn. As Stars fans, we didn’t know how to react.
We had lost someone we’ve seen grow so much over time alongside his younger brother, Jamie Benn. A physical anchor on a team that lacked a nasty edge, and a resilient soul igniting a spark in the dressing room. Jordie was that and more. In the end, he was a team-first defenseman willing to constantly work on his craft. He never took his National Hockey League job for granted and showed a desired to constantly improve.