The Seattle Kraken get a big piece of business done for the franchise. Star forward Matthew Beniers signs a new contract with the club. Beniers‘ contract has been agreed as a seven-year deal at $7.14M AAV. With this, the Kraken have locked up their number-one centre of the future and right now.
The #SeaKraken have agreed to terms with forward Matty Beniers on a seven-year contract ($7.14M AAV). pic.twitter.com/DPsFiHSgN1
— Seattle Kraken PR (@SeattleKrakenPR) August 20, 2024
New Contract for Beniers
Beniers is coming off a 37-point season, scoring 15 goals for the Kraken. It is a bit of a drop-off compared to his first full season with Seattle. In the 2022-23 season, Beniers played 80 games, scoring 24 goals and a total of 57 points. His numbers were so great that he earned himself the Calder Trophy, awarded to the best rookie of the season. For that award, he beat out players such as Stuart Skinner, Owen Power, and Wyatt Johnston. The Kraken were good enough to make the playoffs that season and in 14 games, Beniers scored seven points, pretty solid for a rookie seeing the NHL playoffs for the first time in his career.
Despite the slight negative regression this season compared to the last, there’s no denying that Beniers is a very talented player. The entire Kraken team wasn’t great as a whole this past season, so it’s expected for everyone to take a hit in terms of offensive production. It’s clear that Kraken management believes in Beniers, and this contract is a representation of that.
What Does this Mean for Seattle?
As everyone knows, Seattle are still a very new franchise in the NHL. In fact, this coming season will only be their fourth since their expansion in 2021. A signing such as this one is very significant to a franchise like the Kraken. This shows that they are setting out their foundation for the future, and general manager Ron Francis will hope that this will help them become a playoff team again, just like they were a couple of seasons ago.
They may not immediately be a playoff contending team with this contract for Beniers, but it is a step in the right direction for Francis and the Kraken.
Main photo: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
