Jamie Benn has a way of sticking in the craw of Red Wings fans, and a new poll says he sits at the top of the list as the most hated player in Detroit.
RotoWire’s survey of Red Wings fans named the Dallas Stars forward as the NHLer they dislike most, and the reasons are not hard to find. Benn has built a reputation over the years as a player opponents love to loathe, with questionable hits and dirty plays helping turn him into a villain in plenty of NHL markets.
For Detroit, though, the resentment traces back to one moment in particular: a dirty cross check that left then-captain Dylan Larkin with a broken neck. Larkin’s season ended on the spot, and Benn escaped without supplemental discipline.
He also wasn’t penalized on the play, which only sharpened the frustration around the league. Since then, boos have followed him every time he steps onto the ice at Little Caesar’s Arena.
The timing of all this makes the reaction even more pointed. Larkin’s name has come up in trade talk, and the list of teams he’s reportedly offered includes the Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights, Minnesota Wild and, now, the Dallas Stars. Those destinations all point toward one thing: a shot at the Stanley Cup.
If Larkin were to land with any of those teams, he wouldn’t be walking in as the centerpiece. He’d be part of the supporting cast, not the driver.
Dallas stands out for another reason, though, because Benn is the Stars’ captain. That would put Larkin in the unusual position of potentially taking orders from the same player who broke his neck.
The whole setup leaves one more question hanging in the air: why would Larkin be so willing to end up in that spot?
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Keenan has added offense to his game while still handling the work that matters most in his own end, Phelan has settled in as a dependable stay-at-home presence, and Cleveland continues to bring the size and edge that made him such an intriguing pick in the first place. None of that guarantees a quick path to the NHL, but it does mean Detroit still has three blue-line projects worth tracking as their college seasons unfold and the club weighs future contract decisions. [Read more 🡒]