It seems Matty Beniers is returning to the Kraken, after all.

Beniers returns to the Seattle Kraken once more, this time for quite a long time as he signed a seven-year deal worth at least an estimated $50 million to stay with the team. At the age of 21, there are high expectations from the forward after he had a promising breakout year in the 2023-24 season. Now he is slated to play a bigger role for the team with the hopes of leading them to a promising victory on the big stage.

It has been a very busy offseason for the Seattle Kraken so far, and it cannot be denied that the team is starting to pick up steam with the hopes of proving their worth on the big stage and becoming a contender in the long run. Signing Beniers to a new deal at least gives them breathing room to keep one of their best stars in the game for the coming years.

Kraken finished with a 34-35-13 record for 81 points in the previous season. Sitting at the 12th seed, it was easy to expect that Seattle would be making a lot of impressive strides to ensure that they would finally have a chance to make it to the playoff stages.

A Proven Performer

At the age of 21, Beniers has become one of the most reliable players for the Kraken so far, and it cannot be denied that the team is hoping to see more of his big strides in the coming season. In the previous season alone, Beniers scored a total of 37 points coming off 15 goals and 22 assists in 77 games, being one of the most prolific scorers in the team so far.

"Matty has been a core part of our team since making his NHL debut, not only on the ice but in his commitment to our community and our fans," Kraken general manager Ron Francis said. "Signing Matty to a new contract was a top priority for our offseason, and we are excited to have it done. We're looking forward to seeing Matty take the next steps as a player and watching him contribute to many more memorable moments for our franchise."

Beniers is definitely a great signing for the team so far, and bringing him back for one more run after two seasons of impressive runs is definitely a win that fans can consider for Kraken’s growth in the game so far.

Capping Off a Busy Offseason

The Seattle Kraken has worked well to come up with impressive signings in the offseason to strengthen their roster so far. The team has already handed out big contracts to the likes of Chandler Stephenson and Brandon Montour in free agency. Signing Beniers, however, is a promising note as to how dedicated the team is to improve their winning chances.

As a rookie in the 2022-23 season, Beniers led all first-year players in points with 57 with 24 goals in just 80 games. He went on to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year in the same season, where he was selected as the no. 2 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. So far, Beniers has tallied a total of 103 points coming off 42 goals and 61 assists in 167 games in the regular season. He has also appeared in 14 Stanley Cup Playoff games and has amassed seven points off three goals and four assists.