Sabres ink Zach Benson to seven-year, $52.5 million contract

Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - It's been a busy 24 hours for Buffalo Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen. He's traded away Bo Byram, Alex Tuch and Jordan Greenway, and has now locked up winger Zach Benson to a long-term extension for seven years at a salary cap hit of $7.5 million.

In 65 games this season, Benson scored 13 goals and 30 assists for 43 points. In his last 36 games, he had nine goals and 17 assists for 26 points. Benson really excelled in the playoffs for Buffalo, playing 13 games and scoring five goals and four assists for nine points.

It's the intangibles that makes Benson so valuable to the Sabres. He's always in the fight, always in the battle, always fighting for loose pucks, always making the opponent so mad that they take penalties against him.

Benson is only 21-years-old, and the scoring touch that made him the 13th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft is starting to come at the highest level.

Winnipeg Ice teammate Matt Savoie was the Sabres' first-round pick the year before, and the two of them played on a line together for the Ice.

Savoie was supposed to get preseason games and practice reps with forward Tage Thompson, but got hurt, resulting in Benson getting those reps. He was so good, he made the Sabres as an 18-year-old rookie and never looked back.

Savoie was eventually traded to the Edmonton Oilers for Ryan McLeod.

Benson is also valuable because head coach Lindy Ruff can put him on any line and he excels right away. He can also kill penalties and play on the power play.