EDMONTON, Alberta - Matty Beniers didn’t look like a guy coasting on an opening-night blowout.
The Kraken alternate captain moved slowly through the Calgary locker room after the game, an ice pack strapped to his leg, and he wasn’t exactly wearing the easygoing expression teammates have come to expect. But that serious look wasn’t just about the bruise he picked up when he blocked a dangerous Zayne Parekh shot while the Kraken were protecting a two-goal lead and then had to grind through the final 47 minutes.
Beniers had already been in that mode before the puck dropped. He didn’t seem any less locked in in the hotel elevator pregame, and by the time the night was over, he had helped push Seattle to a 6-1 rout.
When asked what was going through his mind on the penalty kill when he made the block, Beniers said, “Nothing. Absolutely nothing. It’s just what you have to do.”
That line pretty neatly captures what the Kraken are trying to become in this 2026-27 season: a team that understands the cost of staying in games, and a young core that keeps learning how to win them at the NHL level.
Beniers, 23, is right in the middle of that group. The Kraken see him as part of an emerging wave of young talent that is still figuring out the habits and details that separate competitive from finished. That process isn’t going to happen in one night, and it won’t be defined by one result, no matter what happens Saturday against a longtime Edmonton Oilers nemesis at Rogers Place Arena.
The Kraken aren’t going to look like they did in Calgary every night. That’s not how a season works. Their task is simpler and tougher at the same time: stay competitive for as long as they can, keep building, and hope that development shows up in the standings.
There’s plenty of noise around the league that says only a small handful of “elite” teams really matter and everyone else should just start thinking about draft position. Some fans even embrace losing on purpose, chasing a top pick and calling it a plan.
But that gamble comes with its own problems, including a lottery system that can push the three worst teams anywhere from Nos. 3-5. And there’s no guarantee the reward is worth the pain, especially if the draft class isn’t loaded at the top.
Seattle’s roster also tells a different story than the tanking crowd would like. The Kraken skated Thursday with a pair of former No. 2 overall picks in Beniers and Kaapo Kakko, another No. 4 overall pick in Shane Wright, and No. 8 pick Berkly Catton, who some believed could have gone even higher.
They all contributed in the win over Calgary. Every one of them recorded a point, and Beniers and Kakko each had multiple points.
The depth of that prospect pipeline didn’t stop there, either. Two more of Seattle’s top regarded young players waiting in the wings, Chase Reid and Jake O’Brien, were both No. 7 and No. 8 overall selections.
In Other News...
Kraken Sent An Early Message About What This Team Could Be
The season opener could hardly have gone much better for the Kraken, who rolled past Calgary and immediately showed the kind of depth and pace this roster wants to lean on. Jordan Eberle, Vince Dunn and Freddy Gaudreau all struck in the first period, giving Seattle an early cushion and an instant jolt of confidence in front of a home crowd that had to like what it saw.
The scoring kept coming late, with Chandler Stephenson, Matty Beniers and Kaapo Kakko all adding goals in the third to turn a strong start into a statement win. Joey Daccord was steady throughout in net and even got involved in the offense, a reminder that Seattles night was about more than just an opening-night result. [Read more 🡒]
Seattle Torrent Finally Get Their First Real Place In The PWHL
The Seattle Torrent finally have something that feels like a real home base in the PWHL, with the league releasing the clubs 2026-27 schedule and putting Seattle on a full-season path in its own building. For the first time, the league has enough teams to split into Western and Eastern Conferences, and Seattle lands in the Western side as the new structure starts to take shape.
Climate Pledge Arena will host 15 home dates on a 30-game slate, giving the Torrent a steadier presence in front of local fans after arriving as the league continued to expand. The schedule also includes four Takeover Tour stops at neutral sites, a reminder that even with a clearer home identity now in place, the league is still trying to broaden its footprint while Seattle settles into its first real place on the map. [Read more 🡒]