ROOKIE SENSATION MATTY BENIERS SHINES FOR JACKETS IN DEBUT SEASON

When the Blue Jackets drafted Jason Robertson in the first round of the 2017 draft, they knew they landed a special player that other teams in the league had valued lower than his true value, though they never expected that he would turn into one of the true stars of the league as he has become today. However when a team comes to you with a trade proposal that involves a prospect with as high of a pedigree as the 2022 3rd overall Matty Beniers, you have to listen. 

The Blue Jackets ultimately ended up making the trade with the New York Rangers which saw them send forwards Jason Robertson and Trent Frederic, along with blue liner Brenden Dillon, in exchange for then prospect Matty Beniers, forwards Zach Hyman and Mackenzie Entwistle and a fourth round draft selection which was later flipped to the Los Angeles Kings for a fifth round selection which was used to draft Russian winger Nikita Guslistov and a fourth round pick in the upcoming 2023 draft. 

The Rangers got a star in Robertson, but the Blue Jackets knew they had one in the making in Beniers, and he lived up to the hype in his first RHL season putting up 27 goals and 31 assists for 58 points over a full 82 game season with the Blue Jackets. Splitting his time between the second and third lines, Beniers will certainly be in the running for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the second leading scorer among rookie skaters, with only the Chicago Blackhawks' Anton Lundell scoring more points with 66 on the season. Beniers was a leader on the ultimate Stanley Cup winning team, while the Blackhawks failed to make the playoffs this season. 

Speaking of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Beniers also put up a solid showing in his first postseason, finishing with 17 points (8 goals and 9 assists) over 23 games, ending the postseason third on his team in points, behind first line stars Mika Zibanejad and Tage Thompson. Perhaps Beniers' biggest accomplishment of the playoffs was putting up two points, a goal and an assist, in the Stanley Cup clinching game and becoming the games first star. Beniers will certainly receive some votes for the Conn Smythe trophy winner being one of the top scorers in all of the playoffs. 

Even with an excellent showing in his rookie season, Beniers will be looking to improve upon his play and avoid the dreaded sophomore slump heading into his second season with the Jackets. With fellow centerman Nazem Kadri already traded to the Seattle Kraken in an early offseason move, there will be a spot open on the second line full time next year which will provide the ice time needed for Beniers to prove that he can stick in the top six of a Stanley Cup defending team. He certainly proved that he deserves the chance with the excellent numbers he posted in the postseason, and if he gets some more time alongside the stars in the Blue Jackets top six he will have an excellent opportunity to put up an improvement on the season he showed in his rookie year.