With points in five straight, Seattle Kraken center Matty Beniers is finding his offensive stride, and he's driving the Kraken’s offense.
The Seattle Kraken hoped to draft their franchise No.1 center when they selected Matty Beniers with the second overall pick in the 2021 NHL draft.
After his Calder Trophy-winning rookie season, it appeared that it was a matter of time before that came to fruition. Unfortunately, as it’s been stated thousands of times, a player’s development isn’t linear, and Beniers went on to have two seasons where he struggled to produce offensievly at the level he did during his rookie campaign.
Although his offensive game struggled, the Kraken appropriately praised his attentiveness to the defensive side of the puck. He became a lockdown defender as analytic darlings raved about his all-around game.
The continuing issue for the Kraken was that they needed more than just defensive fortitude. Paying the 23-year-old $7,142,857 annually, the Kraken required more than 20 goals and 43 points.
This season, Beniers has elevated his game, and the Kraken seem to tick as he does. Beniers started the season strong, but he quickly entered a slump. After a lull in production, Beniers has once again turned up his offensive game, and the Kraken have been racking up wins with ease during this stretch. The Hingham, MA native has points in five consecutive games and has notched five goals and eight points in his last seven contests.
“I like (playing with Matty Beniers) a lot,” said Kraken winger Kaapo Kakko. “We played all of the games last year together. So I know what he’s doing and what he can bring. I think we played well together last season, and I think we are finding it right now. I think there have been good games. It’s getting better and better all the time. Ebs (Jordan Eberle) has been there also, and I think my game with him is getting better also, and as a line I think we’ve been doing good things.”
Kaapo Kakko and Matty Beniers (Steven Bisig-Imagn Images)His shooting percentage is still lower than he would hope for at just 10.8 percent, but he’s shooting the puck and driving offense this year, and it’s made a massive difference. Beniers is averaging 1.87 shots per game this season, the highest mark of his career. Currently, Beniers is on pace for 17 goals and 54 points, but if he can maintain this level, there is no reason why he can’t eclipse the 20-goal and 60-point mark this season.
“In the o-zone he’s pretty good over there, said Kakko. “He gets on pucks for us, he knows where I like to be. I feel like I try to find him a little more. He’s more of a shooter than me. I like to stay close to the net and in the corners and try to make plays. He knows where I am. So I like that, and I know where he likes to be, and I try to find him.”
In the last month or so, the Kraken have seen their offensive production improve, but their numbers remain well into the bottom half of the league. If Beniers’ play holds true, they can continue to move up and stay in the playoff hunt.
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