Dallas Stars forwards Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin are no longer elite players like they were earlier in their careers, but the veteran leadership the two have brought to the team has been crucial during their 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs run.

The two first began playing in Dallas nearly a decade ago, and were regularly among the NHL's top scorers. Although the time has passed for them to contribute at their former elite clips, coach Pete DeBoer is thankful for what they've brought.

“You've seen the effect of it with the season we've had, directly on our standings, directly on our scoring, directly on the consistency of their seasons,” DeBoer said on Wednesday, per Associated Press. “We're not a passive stand-around team, so you're expending a lot of energy to play the way we want to play. And I think that's benefited our team game too.”

Benn is now 33-years-old, while Seguin is 31; there was a time when Benn led the NHL is scoring, and just years before that Seguin won a Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins as a 19-year-old in 2011.

Benn had a resurgent campaign in 2022-23, turning back the clock with 33 goals and 78 points while playing all 82 games, despite only averaging 15:47 time-on-ice per game. Seguin had 50 points in 76 games, in what was his 10th season with the Stars after being traded from the Bruins in 2013.

“You get slotted where you're slotted and you just want to contribute as much as you can, whether it’s first PP [power play], no PP, first line, fourth line,” Seguin said about his role this season, per AP. “When you have a team like this, it's exciting. It's always a lot easier because you're so deep and you can kind of play anywhere. I've been having as much fun with it as I can.”

Game 1 of the Western Conference Final between the Stars and the Golden Knights is set for Friday night in Las Vegas, and Dallas will be relying on the veteran leadership of Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin as they try to eliminate their cross-division rivals for the second time in four seasons.