Forwards Jared McCann, Matty Beniers and Shane Wright, plus D-man Brandon Montour, all have opportunity to join 20-goal scorers Eeli Tolvanen and Jaden Schwartz
When Jaden Schwartz scored the Kraken’s fourth goal in Saturday’s road game at Edmonton, he reached the 20-goal mark for this season. He has accomplished the feat twice with the Kraken, while his other two Seattle seasons were shortened due to significant injuries. Six times in his career Schwartz has reached the 20-plus goal range with an additional season totaling 19.
Schwartz joined teammate Eeli Tolvanen in the 20-plus club this hockey year. The 25-year-old Tolvanen, who has become a mentor in recent weeks to fellow young Finns Kaapo Kakko and Jani Nyman, leads the team with 21 goals, a career-high.
With 11 games left in the season, there are four plausible candidates to be part of the elite 20-plus circle: Forwards Jared McCann, Matty Beniers, and Shane Wright all have 17 goals while Brandon Montour, who has already set the franchise for defensemen, has 16.
McCann is the first Kraken to achieve 100 goals and 100 assists, breaking through both benchmarks earlier this season. The Kraken veteran forward has filled many roles beyond goal scorer this season, including as a primary penalty killer and filling in at center, a position that requires more defensive duties plus setting up teammates for scoring chances. If McCann does reach 20 or more goals, he will be the first Kraken player to do so in each of the first four seasons.
McCann, as avid fans know, holds the regular-season franchise record with 40 goals during the glorious 2022-23 hockey year in which Seattle fell just short of reaching the Western Conference final. Second on Seattle’s most-goals-in-a-season list? McCann’s 29 scores last season. Third? McCann’s 27 goals in the inaugural season.
McCann is second in shots on goal (168) on the Seattle roster. The SOG leader is Montour, now at 201 and definitely counting. Montour has scored six goals in March in 11 games, which happens to be the number of Kraken games left for the D-man to add to goal totals.
Beniers, Wright On the Rise
When Matty Beniers (No. 2 overall in 2021) and Shane Wright (No. 4 in 2022) were drafted, Kraken GM Ron Francis was clear the intention was for both players to serve as cornerstones of the franchise. In season four, the vision is coming into clear view. Beniers might need to reach the 24-goal count of his 2022-23 rookie year, but he has eclipsed the 15 goals he scored last season.
Even more promising is the chemistry he and the aforementioned Kakko have developed and all fans tuned into Saturday’s game on Kraken Hockey Network no doubt are savoring the prospect of those two young players lining up with hot prospect Jani Nyman, who notched his first NHL assists on Kakko’s two goals. The line impressed during 5-on-5 play and played together on the same power play unit with Brandon Montour and Jordan Eberle (who has notched 20-plus NHL seasons eight times, twice with Seattle), Kaapo scoring on assists from Beniers and Nyman.
In mid-November, Wright was a healthy scratch from the lineup for three games, including an in-game session in the GM booth with Ron Francis and Jeff Tambellini, director of player development. In his first full NHL season, Wright has been among the Kraken’s best overall players and scorers since returning from the reset. His consistency stands out, same for his tenacity on the forecheck to generate quality scoring chances for himself and his linemate. He has scored with his high level (include a trio of two-goal games) and also by the so-called dirty work of standing his ground in the crease.
“Both players have picked up their consistency in for a good portion of the last two months,” said Dan Bylsma on the past road trip. “Matty’s line has been the forefront of our team playing against other teams’ best players and at the same time giving us offense at the other end of the rink. We keep talking about Shane because of the consistency of what he’s now done it over these last months, where he not only shows up on the score sheet, but gets multiple chances every game. You’re seeing his shot more often, which promising for the future too.”
Veterans Talking About Young Linemates
Jordan Eberle has been one of the Kraken’s best producers in March, especially starting about eight games into his return from the pelvic fracture and surgery. He counts Wright among teammates who have excelled this season and said he thinks Beniers has upped his game as well.
“Wrighter has obviously taken a step ever since, really, December,” said the Kraken captain. “He makes a lot of little plays. His speed is very underrated. His shot is underrated. He’s got a lot of tools that make him an offensive threat. I see the confidence coming into his play.
“I think the same confidence for Matty too. He keeps growing as a player. He’s engaged. I’ve always said the things that impressed me with him, were his defensive play and the way he controls the puck [in all situations]. Both are very cerebral players with hockey IQs off the charts.”
Alternate captain Schwartz played 52 games over of two seasons for St. Louis before notching 25 goals in 2013-14. Wright played 16 NHL games in his first two years as a pro. Like Eberle, Schwartz likes the complete performances of Wright and Beniers, who are the Kraken’s fourth- and fifth-leading scorers, respectively.
“They both have a lot of speed,” said Schwartz reiterating a point that comes up with Eberle and Bylsma too. “They see the ice well [echoing Ron Francis] and are skilled players who shoot the puck well. It’s been fun to see [Wright’s] game grow from when we first drafted him. He’s a very focused guy. You can tell how much he loves the game … It’s good to see all of his hard work has paid off.”
