Why the Kraken extended Matty Beniers on a 7-year deal

The fire was lit as soon as time ran out on last season. 

The flames were stoked with every passing week. 

Kerosene was dumped on it as soon as Eeli Tolvanen signed his deal. 

The burning question continued to get hotter as time passed this offseason: “when’s Matty Beniers getting extended?” 

That answer came on Tuesday when the Seattle Kraken and Beniers agreed to a seven-year extension, paying out with $7.14 million in annual salary. 

“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 in a statement. 

Social media has a way of warming the stage when arguably, a potential cornerstone piece of the Kraken passed through days and weeks of restricted free agency. It’s now done. Beniers was eligible, like any other restricted free agent, to receive an offer sheet, which would either would have hiked the price on said extension, or risk losing him to another suitor in exchange for high draft pick compensation. 

The latter was never going to happen. 

“Signing Matty to a new contract was a top priority for our offseason, and we are excited to have it done,” said Francis. 

Despite a 20-point plummet from his Calder Trophy rookie season, the argument is still loud that Beniers hasn’t even begun to scratch the surface of his potential. 

“Matty is a very competitive guy,” forward and dressing room stall neighbor Jordan Eberle told 93.3 KJR-FM. “I think the biggest thing that impresses me about Matty, and you don't see it in a lot of young kids, is, he's not points-driven. He's not statistics driven. He loves playing on the other side of the puck, which, as a young kid, is a rare thing, and I compare it to maybe one of the best of all time, and that's Patrice Bergeron.” 

It's not the first time we’ve heard that comparison to Bergeron – Beniers has even admitted embracing that comparison, a linchpin of the team he grew up watching as a kid in suburban Boston. 

So how long until he gets there, and how does his contract affect the Kraken? 

WHY THE DEAL GOT DONE: The Kraken had to do it, or risk losing a top six center (by way of holdout or offer sheet) to begin a season that desperately needs a good start – and ultimately – a better one under new head coach Dan Bylsma in a goal that involves a return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Beniers’ play suffered early last season, and the Kraken record suffered likewise (11 of his 15 goals, along with 70 percent of his point production) came in Kraken victories. He had only six goals before the All-Star break. Esteemed colleague Ian Furness shared on Tuesday that Beniers went 51 games without a point last season. 

Conventional wisdom says a bridge deal, jargon for a short-term contract with less money that could lead to an even larger payday, was in play for Beniers. In this case, it’s clear Beniers was due for a big pay day, regardless. It’s also clear that players are often paid in this era not for what they’ve done, but for what the team projects them to do. 

Small examples: David Pastrnak signing his first seven-figure deal (worth six years), then recording five seasons of 35 goals or more – topped with 61 last year. 

Aleksander Barkov, a Selke Trophy winner in which many project as an object that will occupy Beniers’ case in the future, signed a six-year deal worth $5.9 million annually that served as the launch for four seasons of 78 points or more, plus the Selke three years ago. 

Anze Kopitar, a year before his entry level deal expired in 2008, signed a rich seven-year deal for just under $7 million. This was eons ago when the cap limit was $56 million, the Mariners had Adrián Beltré, my television colleague John Forslund was deep in Carolina, my radio colleague Everett Fitzhugh was a college student, I was in the ECHL, and we ran on flip phones. In the stretch of the next contract, Kopitar went onto win two Stanley Cups as the Kings top line center, a pair of Selke honors, and own nine seasons of 70 points or more. He’s going down as one the greatest two-way forwards of his generation and in the conversation for the Hall of Fame.

The salary cap will escalate for all NHL teams to $88 million for next season. How further it rises? That remains to be seen. Should Beniers return to form of two years ago with added strength and muscle, and continue his arc of development, a $7 million deal for a player of his potential caliber at age 27 will age like fine wine. 

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE KRAKEN: Obvious point, they have their prized cornerstone signed, sealed, and delivered for the long term. The Kraken also squeezed out nearly every cent of available space. It’s the world we live in: the hard salary cap planet that requires everyone to finely manage every cent at avoiding risk of penalization with financial, draft pick, contract losses or worse (now, insert your own “LTIR” jokes here).  

The hard reality is the Kraken have little wiggle room for further moves in their current state of affairs, limited with approximately $4,000 of salary cap space, according to PuckPedia.com. 

So, what happens if a rookie, say if Ryan Winterton blows everyone’s doors down in training camp to the point where sending him to Coachella Valley is a fool’s errand? What about Ben Meyers or John Hayden? There’s still time to bring in another veteran on a professional tryout offer. They’re not accounted for on the current cap as of today, which makes the possibility of a trade involving a rostered veteran extremely likely. 

That’s a wait and see thing, which creates a mildly intriguing picture on the reformation of this roster, in a season where the Kraken hope to reform their direction.