Matty Beniers ignites a fresh rivalry, calling out the Stars winger for snubbing a massive $120 million offer and defending Seattle’s culture against those who refuse to join.
In a recent interview with The Athletic, Seattle Kraken star center Matty Beniers may have kicked off a new rivalry that not many expected, this one with the Dallas Stars.
Speaking with The Athletic's Mark Lazerus, Beniers explained that he and some of his Kraken teammates were rubbed the wrong way by Stars standout winger Jason Robertson rejecting Seattle's massive eight year, $120 million contract extension offer, a deal that would have paid Robertson $15 million annually.
Beniers explained that the city of Seattle gets a bad rap, calling it beautiful, and said that players who come to the Kraken end up happy there. He noted it doesn't feel good to have someone not want to join the team, but also made clear that if a player doesn't want to be part of the Kraken, that's fine by him, saying "if you don't want to be here, we don't want you, anyway."
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Beniers added that ultimately the decision is up to the player, and that things rarely work out when a team brings in someone who doesn't actually want to be there, suggesting the deal falling through may have been for the best in the long run. Robertson, for his part, has been clear that his commitment remains in Dallas.
Heading into next offseason, he's expected to look to sign a new deal with the Stars, one that could land closer to the $15 million annual figure the Kraken once offered, a number that seemed outlandish at the time.
With recent massive extensions handed out to players like Macklin Celebrini, who is earning north of $20 million a season, it wouldn't be a surprise if Robertson ends up commanding an even bigger deal when his time comes.
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