The Seattle Kraken often boast about the high volume of crowd noise at Climate Pledge Arena. The same can’t be said for the volume inside the home dressing room.
“We’ve got a quiet locker room” – coach Lane Lambert.
“We do have a quiet locker room” – defenseman Brandon Montour.
“Becoming more vocal” – center Matty Beniers, on an area he’s working to improve.
During an appearance on CBC’s After Hours, Montour explained why he filled the role of music director. “It’s an important part of the locker room before games. When I first signed here, the music was lacking. It was pretty quiet. So I got on that right away. Every year I start a new playlist, probably 300+ songs. You’ve got Europeans, guys who like country, guys who like rap.”
Mischievous Matty Beniers
Veterans who’ve comprised the Kraken leadership group, such as Jaden Schwartz and Adam Larsson, aren’t typically described as boisterous.
One who has that potential is Beniers. In Dec., 2023, Larsson, a known prankster, had pulled one on the Calder Trophy winner. Beniers got his defenseman back in spades, by finding a photo Larsson’s girlfriend posted online after giving him a haircut.
From NHL.com: “Kraken players have been proudly wearing black T-shirts featuring a photo of Larsson with a bowl haircut before and after games throughout their team-record tying eight-game point streak (6-0-2). ‘It’s just a funny pic of him, and the guys liked it’ Beniers said.
“Larsson believes there could be a connection between the T-shirts and the team’s climb back to within three points of the second wild card. ‘I think so,’ Larsson said. ‘We haven’t lost since. So, they turned the season around.'”
See?
Beniers, who turns 24 in November, believes he’s gotten better at being a vocal presence in the room. “I really don’t care how old you are. If you’ve got something to say, you’re going to say it. If you think it’s going to help the team, say it. That’s what we’re trying to build here, everyone working together on the same goal. It’s not it’s an older guy, young guy thing.”
While Beniers acknowledges, “More times than not, it will be the older guys that will (speak up) because they know better,” he’s getting to be one of those older guys. If not in biological age, than with experience. The former 2nd overall draft pick in 2021 is entering his fifth full NHL season, with 331 games under his belt.
In Montour, Kraken Signed Offensive Defenseman – And DJ
Montour says he noticed a change in atmosphere when he came to Seattle, just after winning a Stanley Cup in 2024 with the Florida Panthers. The native of Ohsweken, Ont. signed a $50 million, seven year contract with the Kraken that summer.
“I’m a guy that’s vocal. I was the same way in Florida. We might have had more, you know, goofballs and guys that would yell and laugh and motivate in different ways. This group (in Seattle) does it in different ways. We’re a quiet team. That doesn’t mean our culture is bad in any way. We have guys like myself, and I can name a few others that are vocal when needed.”
Lambert isn’t against adding more liveliness into the room. Like any coach, however, he’s wary of seeing the volume turned up to 11. “A little more personality, potentially. But at the same time, you’ve got to be very careful where you go with that.”
Still, while GM Jason Botterill and his staff are beating the bushes for scoring forwards and shutdown defensemen this offseason, perhaps they would do well to include a side order of goofy.
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