Seattle, WA
Seattle Kraken Check-In: How is Matty Beniers' 2nd season going?
The Seattle Kraken have rebounded from a rough start to 2023-24, as they recently used a six-game win streak to get over .500 for the first time in this NHL season.
A similar thing could be said about the player that many hope will be the face of the franchise, Matty Beniers.
Why are Seattle Kraken surging? Coach Hakstol says they’ve found their identity
The 6-foot-2, 178-pound center ran away in the voting to win the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year for 2022-23. He earned 160 of a possible 196 votes for first place after leading the league’s rookies in goals (24), points (57) and plus/minus (plus-14) in 80 games, while also ranking second in assists (33).
But after his sterling debut campaign helped the Seattle Kraken reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs in just their second season of existence, he had trouble repeating his performance out of the gate this fall. In fact, his plus/minus (the specific goal differential for a player’s team when they are on the ice) was at minus-12 through 11 games, when he finally registered his first positive plus/minus this season in a single game.
“I think he’s learned a life lesson in hockey,” said John Forslund, a longtime NHL broadcaster who is the voice of the Kraken on ROOT Sports, when he joined Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob last week. “… I think what we saw in the first six to eight weeks of the season a player that had lost his way, and a player that had lost his way offensively and then lost his confidence. And because he was losing confidence, he was forgetting how to play defensively. He was forgetting where to go on the ice to put himself in a better spot to break the puck out to defend better. And because of that, his plus/minus started go down around a minus-20, which is very uncharacteristic because he’s smarter and he’s better than that.”
How Beniers turned things around
Why were things tough in the opening months this season for Beniers?
“As he progressed through his first year, there was a lot of awareness, obviously, and there was a lot of gameplanning against him,” Forslund said. “But as this season started, the first number in terms of the forwards that the other coach would circle is No. 10 (Beniers’ number), and that’s tough, and it’s tough for him to learn.”
The Kraken have won eight of their last 10 games – and earned a point in the standings in each of those 10 games, as well. Beniers’ play has been a big part of it, as his plus/minus over that stretch is plus-seven, with no individual games in the minus category. He also has five points on his own in those 10 games.
“What’s happened is he’s turned the corner, and you can see it. You can see the step that he has now; he doesn’t appear to be as slow,” Forslund said. “Usually when players appear slow, it’s because they don’t have confidence. He’s going now with a purpose and conviction, which we saw in his first year, even when he had scoring droughts. Even when he went six, seven games without a point, his defensive game never vacillated, he never came off of it. This season it did, so I think it’s a lesson for him.”
Beniers’ role for Seattle Kraken
The 21-year-old Beniers is learning how important it is for the Kraken that he plays well due to his position and the expectations that come with being a talented former first-round pick.
“He’s learned (that) he’s surrounded by a lot of players, but when he’s not going, then Jordan Eberle is not going right. And whoever the left winger is, whether it be (Jaden) Schwartz or (Jared) McCann as it was at the front of the season – you know, it’s difficult,” Forslund said.
That’s not to say the Kraken’s resurgence is entirely due to Beniers finding his footing again. Their recent stretch of success has almost completely coincided with the addition of forward Tomas Tatar in a trade with Colorado, which has had a direct impact on Beniers because they are now playing on the same line.
“There was a trade made about three weeks ago and Tomas Tatar came in, a veteran guy who wasn’t scoring with his new team in Colorado, didn’t have a good slot in that lineup because of the star power that they have,” Forslund said. “So (Kraken general manager Ron) Francis went out and got him, they put him on on Beniers’ line with Eberle and now that’s a good fit, and you see Matty now starting to play off of him a little bit.”
The adjustment period
Forslund related Beniers’ brief second-year slump to what Seattle Mariners star Julio Rodríguez, who was also a Rookie of the Year winner a year ago, went through in 2023.
“I think Julio went through a little bit of that at the beginning of the baseball season. It’s hard for a young player to just automatically show up and do it again, but as they learn these lessons and they get it, then you have perennial output, perennial stats that are always there and that leads to stardom. I’m not saying this guy is going to be – I’m not going to go there and put that pressure on him, but the expectation is that he will get there, and I think he’ll work hard enough to be there someday and be the centerpiece of the franchise. … I think he’s going to have a great second half. I really do. We all know he’s going to be here a long time.”
You can listen to the full Wyman and Bob conversation with ROOT Sports Seattle Kraken broadcaster John Forslund in the podcast at this link or in the player near the top of this post.
Seattle Kraken Takeaways: Is this win streak the start of a run back to playoffs?
SEATTLE – Wednesday will be another warm day with highs in the mid to upper 80s for parts of western Washington. Eastern and central Washington will reach near 100F with high fire danger. The coast and north interior will be cooler, only in the 60s to 70s.
Wednesday will be another warm day with highs in the mid to upper 80s for parts of western Washington.
Fire Weather Watch
A Fire Weather Watch goes into effect Wednesday evening through Thursday evening for thunderstorms and gusty winds. Lightning strikes could create new fire starts and, with very dry conditions in place, any new fire could spread quickly.
A Fire Weather Watch goes into effect Wednesday evening through Thursday evening for thunderstorms and gusty winds.
What’s next:
An upper level low will move into the Pacific Northwest, bringing scattered showers and a chance of thunderstorms. The heaviest showers will be in the morning hours and will turn more scattered into the evening hours.
An upper level low will move into the Pacific Northwest, bringing scattered showers and chance of thunderstorms.
Looking Ahead:
High pressure will build again Friday and into the weekend, increasing temperatures and sunshine. We will start to see highs reach the upper 80s to low 90s by early next week.
High pressure will build again Friday and into the weekend, increasing temperatures and sunshine.
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After so many disappointing seasons with the interior offensive line, the Seattle Seahawks made a commitment last offseason to improve the unit. They started one big step at a time by drafting North Dakota State guard Grey Zabel in the first round, 18th overall pick, of the 2025 NFL Draft. This one was one of the last steps for the Seahawks to create one of the most productive offenses in the NFL.
Zabel wasn’t perfect in his rookie season, but he was good enough to validate the decision to draft him in the first round, and he showed improvement. Zabel is already a favorite among some Seahawks fans and some media outlets as they love his determination and spirit. It was a big jump from the FCS collegiate level to the NFL and this season, he has a chance to show why he might be a top-half-of-the-league guard.
Why Zabel Could Be Ranked Higher?
The Seahawks wanted a determined workhorse when looking for a guard. That’s exactly what they got in Zabel. Last season, he appeared in 1,051 snaps, which is only 10 fewer snaps than right tackle Abraham Lucas, who had the most offensive snaps. Zabel got better as the season progressed. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 81.5 and a run-block grade of 81.2 in Week 14 through the NFC Championship Game.
There were times last season when he looked like a monster against several defenders. He was pushing some defenders completely out of the way on pulling plays and even ran to defenders after the pass-catcher caught the ball. This is the mentality the Seahawks expect him to have going into his second season in the league. He has more experience and the complete trust of the team to be a franchise player on par with Lucas and left tackle Charles Cross. If he continues to improve, he will be another steal for the Seahawks.
Why Zabel Could Be Ranked Lower?
There were times last season when he didn’t quite catch up to the learning curve of the NFL. Zabel allowed two sacks, four hits and 24 pressures in 2025. The Seahawks expect those numbers to decrease significantly as he is experienced and capable of playing at an efficient level. While Zabel is impressive, he might not be the best player the Seahawks have selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. That honor belongs to slot cornerback Nick Emmanwori, who is stepping up to be the steal of the draft.
Zabel is easily one of the best second-year players and is one of the top offensive linemen, but there are players behind him because they haven’t proven to be consistently explosive for the Seahawks. There is going to be even more pressure on him this upcoming season. The Seahawks hired a more run-friendly coach in Brian Fleury as offensive coordinator. His ranking at the end of the season might be much better if he improves, or worse if he fails to reach expectations.
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SEATTLE – High pressure continues early this week, leading to more sunshine and warmer afternoon temperatures. Skies will be sunny, warm and dry through the middle of the week.
High pressure continues early this week, leading to more sunshine and warmer afternoon temperatures.
What’s next:
Highs today in the low to mid 80s for parts of western Washington, with highs in central and eastern Washington getting close to 100 degrees. The coast and northern interior will remain in the 70s with mostly sunny skies.
Highs today in the low to mid 80s for parts of western Washington.
Fire Risk Levels
The Fire Risk Levels this week will continue to elevate as we see warming temperatures and increased chance of thunderstorms. East of the cascades is already dry and warm, so the increased chance of new fire starts will be something to watch with the storms.
The Fire Risk Levels this week will continue to elevate as we see warming temperatures and increased chance of thunderstorms. (FOX 13 Seattle)
Looking Ahead:
Temperatures will continue to warm for western Washington through midweek, before we see another low pressure system swing inland Thursday. This low will increase changes of showers and isolated thunderstorms on Thursday, and temperatures will be back to normal for this time of year. This cool down is short-lived as high pressure builds again and highs warm back up into the 80s by the weekend.
Temperatures will continue to warm for western Washington through midweek, before we see another low pressure system swing in Thursday.
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To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
The Source: Information in this story came from the FOX 13 Seattle Weather Team and the National Weather Service.
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