Matty Beniers is my pick to take another meaningful offensive step for the Seattle Kraken in 2026-27, with a projection of 25 goals, 38 assists and 63 points over 82 games. For fantasy hockey managers, that would represent a 13-point jump from the 50 points he produced last season and finally push Beniers beyond the 57-point mark he posted during his Calder Trophy-winning rookie season.
The biggest reason I’m willing to project that jump is opportunity. Beniers should remain entrenched near the top of the Seattle Kraken lineup while receiving valuable power-play minutes alongside Jordan Eberle, Chandler Stephenson, Vince Dunn and Jared McCann. That group gives Beniers multiple legitimate finishing and puck-moving options rather than forcing him to manufacture offense by himself.
My fantasy hockey read on Beniers is simple: don’t draft him expecting an elite point-per-game center, but don’t value him like a 50-point player either. The underlying ingredients are there for something closer to 60-65 points, especially if Seattle’s power play becomes more dangerous.
Matty Beniers — 2026-27
Matty Beniers 2026-27 Fantasy Hockey Projection: Why 63 Points Is Reachable
Beniers’ offensive progression hasn’t happened in a straight line. He recorded 57 points as a rookie in 2022-23 before dropping to 37 points in 77 games the following season. He climbed back to 43 points in 2024-25 and then reached 50 points last season.
That trend matters more to me than simply looking at his career-high number.
Beniers is entering the stage of his career where a former No. 2 overall pick shouldn’t necessarily be expected to explode overnight, but incremental improvement can suddenly turn into a major fantasy gain. Going from 50 to 63 points requires only another 0.16 points per game. With more productive special-teams minutes, that isn’t an unreasonable leap.
The underlying shot quality is particularly interesting. NHL EDGE reported that Beniers tied Jordan Eberle for Seattle’s lead with 16 high-danger goals last season, putting him in the 92nd percentile among forwards. He also generated 63 high-danger shots on goal and ranked in the 96th percentile in power-play offensive-zone-time percentage.
Those are exactly the types of numbers I want to see when identifying a fantasy player who could outperform his previous season’s point total.
Matty Beniers: Points by Season
Seattle Kraken Power Play Could Unlock Beniers’ Fantasy Ceiling
This is where I believe the biggest fantasy hockey opportunity exists.
Put Beniers on a power play with McCann, Eberle, Stephenson and Dunn and there are multiple ways for him to collect points. McCann provides finishing ability, Dunn can distribute from the blue line, Stephenson can create through movement and passing, and Eberle remains dangerous around scoring areas.
Beniers doesn’t need to become the sole driver of that unit. He needs to touch more successful scoring sequences.
I’m projecting approximately 15 power-play points, which would provide a meaningful boost to his overall production without requiring an unrealistic special-teams explosion.
Current preseason projection data also has Beniers on a first power-play group with those four Seattle teammates, although combinations can obviously change during training camp and throughout the season.
From a fantasy perspective, that’s why I’d rather draft Beniers before the breakout than chase him on waivers after a strong October.
Matty Beniers Salary-Cap and Fantasy Value Snapshot
Beniers carries a $7.143 million cap hit through 2030-31, while the NHL’s 2026-27 upper salary-cap limit is $104 million. That means his contract represents approximately 6.87% of one full team salary cap.
Using my 63-point fantasy projection, Beniers would produce approximately 8.82 projected points for every $1 million of AAV. That isn’t an official NHL statistic — it’s an NHLTradeRumor.com editorial calculation designed to provide another way of visualizing production relative to contract cost.
Matty Beniers Fantasy Draft Value Index
My personal projection lands at 25 goals, 38 assists and 63 points, but I would give Beniers an upside range approaching 68-70 points if the Kraken power play significantly improves. The downside is closer to the low-to-mid-50s if Seattle’s offense again struggles to generate enough finishing around him.
That makes Beniers exactly the type of fantasy player I like targeting after the obvious star centers are gone. You’re not paying for a 70-point player, yet there is a plausible path toward getting production much closer to that territory.
At 23 years old entering the season, Beniers isn’t a finished offensive product. For fantasy hockey managers willing to bet on role, underlying scoring quality and power-play opportunity, Matty Beniers could be one of the more interesting Seattle Kraken value picks of the 2026-27 season.
More Seattle Kraken News and Fantasy Hockey Predictions
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