He's the favorite to win the Calder Trophy in the final voting of the regular season, according to a panel of 16 NHL.com writers, with 79 points (15 first-place votes). He also was first in NHL.com's poll at the three-quarter mark in March.
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Owen Power was second with 45 points (one first-place vote), followed by Edmonton Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner (38 points) and Dallas Stars forward Wyatt Johnston (25 points).
Beniers has played a top-line role for much of the season, skating between left wing Jared McCann and right wing Jordan Eberle, and has proven to be much more than just a point producer.
He's 14th in hits (76) among rookies, second in takeaways (54) and tied for 15th in blocked shots (47). He's also second in face-offs taken (935) and third in face-off wins (396).
"It's not a surprise what Matty has done because of what he's done in the past," Gregory said. "He's a kid that played on very talented teams, and some would say he didn't have the skill of others, potentially, but he always had the complete package that included competitiveness, hockey sense and skating. He's using that to play in every situation and he's just learning more and more.
"He's been taking in information and becoming a better player almost every game. And combine it with the other attributes that he has, it's not surprising but great to see."
Jean-Francois Damphousse of Central Scouting remembers how dynamic a player Beniers was prior to being chosen No. 2 in the 2021 NHL Draft after his freshman season at the University of Michigan.
"To be honest, I thought he'd be a great second- or third-line guy, really good defensively, reliable in all three zones, because he was a good skater," Damphousse said. "I didn't see the offensive part as much. I expected him to play that third-line depth role in the first four or five years of his career. But to see the impact he's had this quickly ... it's been a pleasant surprise but he had the talent.
"Doing what he's doing as a center is tough to do at the NHL level and to contribute the way he contributes at such a young age with just a couple of years of experience is fantastic. I'm happy for him and he deserves 100 percent of whatever credit he receives this season."
Seattle, which holds the first wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference, controls 51.3 percent of shots attempted at 5-on-5 when Beniers is on the ice.
"He has a natural presence and a confidence that doesn't come with any arrogance," Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. "It's an easy presence and he's a [heck] of a player. There are challenges he's dealt with, he's run up against some bumps in the road, but he's handled them all really well. So the qualities that I mentioned, I believe, are really important to him in his success."
Power, chosen with the No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft, leads rookie defensemen in assists (31), points (35) and average ice time (23:44) in 75 games. He's fourth in blocked shots (84) and tied for fifth in takeaways (23) among first-year players at his position. Buffalo controls 52.3 percent of shots attempted at 5-on-5 when the 20-year-old is on the ice.
