Seattle Kraken and Matty Beniers have a contract extension done

The Seattle Kraken were happy to select Matty Beniers second overall in 2021. He played his college hockey at Michigan where he became a collegiate star ready to take the NHL by storm.

After his final year as a Wolverine, he signed his entry-level deal and got in 10 NHL games to end the season. He played in those games where he scored three goals and had six assists for nine points. That's certainly a great start.

In 2023-24, his official rookie season, Beniers had 24 goals and 33 assists for 57 points in 80 games played. His Kraken also made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. They even won a round.

In 2023-24, Beniers had a little bit of a sophomore slump. He scored 15 goals and had 22 assists for 37 points in 77 games played. He still showed that he is an NHL player but his track of becoming a star took a step back. The Kraken missed the playoffs as well.

Despite that tough second year, there are so many reasons to believe that Beniers is going to be a top-flight player in the NHL. It would also help if the team around him continues to get better. He wasn't the only Kraken to have a down year. They failed by committee.

The Seattle Kraken have shown their loyalty to Matt Beniers with a new contract

On Tuesday, the Kraken showed just how much they still believe in the Michigan man by giving him a contract extension. It is a seven-year deal worth $7.14 million AAV.

That is a lot of money to give a guy for what he may be able to do in the long term. He has shown it in the past but it is a risk because of how 2023-24 went. With that said, this is likely going to look like a steal down the line if he continues to develop and become that star player he's looked like before.

He is only one of two players (Wyatt Johnston) from the 2021 class to have over 100 career points. He has also shown glimpses of greatness as a two-way forward who can get it done in all three zones. To have that ability this early is nothing to gloss over.

In the end, how this contract is viewed will all depend on how his production ends up looking in the long term. It is a deal that Seattle had to get done before he has a bounce-back year which would make him much more expensive.