Jamie Benn may not want to sign a new contract with the Dallas Stars until a new CBA is reached. If the owners get their way in negotiations then a system could be put into place that won't honor the full value of previously signed deals. If he were to sign before a new CBA is agreed upon then it would have to have a high annual average value to protect him from escrow hits. Loui Eriksson and James Neal signed "bridge contracts" after their entry-level deals prior to getting their big contracts and the Stars were hoping to give Benn a similar pact. However, they may be forced to pony up more if they want to avoid the problem of entering the 2012-13 campaign without their top center.