Aside from a couple key moves at the start of Free Agency. It has been an incredible quiet off-season for the Seattle Kraken with little going on. The one big piece of news we have been waiting on information for is the status of RFA Matty Beniers.

According to Elliotte Friedman, that may soon come to an end as it appears that the Kraken and Beniers are coming to terms on a 7 year deal that will pay likely just over 7 million a season.

The Calder Trophy winner had 57 points in 80 games in his first season, followed by 37 points in 77 games in his second year. It was a significant drop off in production but it's difficult to fault Beniers entirely for that when the team as a whole underachieved and struggled to produce.

I thought that Francis may go for a couple year bridge deal, something in the 3-4 million dollar range and wait and see what Beniers will do with another year or two under his belt but I like this approach. All around the NHL we see what happens when young talented players are bridged; typically getting a third deal that puts them into the upper echelon of the league salaries.

Beniers at 7 million as the cap continues to rise could end up being one of the better value contracts in the NHL. Players around the NHL are starting to get contracts in the 9, 10, and 11 million dollar ranges and as the cap continues to go up, the top players will continue to take on a higher percentage of the cap.

Of course like any deal there is risk to this, if Beniers cannot find another gear and ends up being a 50-60 point player than this would be an overpay. Fans have to trust that the scouting and coaching staff know what they have in Beniers and have just locked up one of their core players for years to come.



Thanks for reading.

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