Zach Benson may not need a 30-goal season to stamp himself as one of the NHL’s top wingers.
The Buffalo Sabres forward is still fighting through some ugly finishing luck - his 8.1 goals below expected is the highest total in the league, according to Natural Stat Trick - but the rest of his game has been loud. Through 18 games, Benson has piled up 13 assists, 10 of them primary, and his ability to drive offense in transition has become one of Buffalo’s most valuable traits.
Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic put a spotlight on that part of Benson’s game on Thursday, pointing to the 21-year-old’s elite rush passing numbers:
"A majority of those scoring chances off entries are created off Benson's playmaking ability and that's the big number: 6.0 rush passes per 60, the league's best mark. Last year that category was led by Leo Carlsson, Leon Draisaitl, Martin Necas, Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid. That's special company that Benson is joining."
Dom Luszczyszyn on Zach Benson
That kind of praise fits the way Benson has played. His vision jumps out immediately - one quick look, then a pass delivered right on the money. For a Sabres offense that has had its share of stretches where chances are hard to come by, Benson keeps manufacturing quality looks.
And that’s only part of the package.
He’s a constant nuisance on the forecheck, willing to dig in along the boards and battle in front of the net even though he usually gives up size in those spots. His defensive-zone awareness has also taken real steps forward over his four seasons at hockey’s highest level.
He also brings the edge. Benson likes the “rat” role, and he leans into it, trying to get under opponents’ skin while skating away with that trademark grin. It showed up plenty during Buffalo’s run to the second round of last season’s playoffs.
The former Winnipeg Ice standout has become the kind of all-around player Buffalo can lean on - with one obvious exception. He still hasn’t turned that finishing touch into a consistent weapon.
If that ever changes, watch out.
Even with Benson growing into a force and Jack Quinn pushing his production to new heights, Buffalo’s offense still doesn’t feel secure. The Sabres are scoring 2.94 goals per game, good for 20th in the NHL, a sharp drop from last season’s 3.45 mark, which ranked fifth.
The need for a true first-line center has been obvious for a while. It’s the hole left behind when Jack Eichel was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2021, and the organization has spent the last five years trying to patch it without finding the right answer.
Tage Thompson has usually been the player asked to fill that spot, but his offensive production comes with defensive issues and faceoff struggles that make him look better suited to the wing full-time.
General manager Jarmo Kekalainen has tried to attack the problem since taking over the front office last December, with Robert Thomas of the St. Louis Blues and Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings among the names he has pursued. So far, though, he hasn’t landed that kind of deal.
That missing piece keeps hanging over the team, and it felt even more obvious after Wednesday night, when Tampa Bay Lightning star Nikita Kucherov took over with a hat trick in the Bolts’ 8-3 win over Buffalo.
For now, Benson keeps giving the Sabres plenty to build on. The question is whether the front office can find the star center to make all of it fit.
In Other News...
Sabres Suddenly Face A Bigger Problem Than One Bad Loss
The Sabres latest stumble against Tampa Bay did more than add another loss to the ledger. It sharpened the questions already hanging over a team that has been trying to find some consistency, with Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson both pointing to the need for sharper play across the board. When a game ends with the kind of defensive breakdowns, shaky goaltending and special-teams issues Buffalo has been dealing with, it becomes less about one bad night and more about a pattern the club has to confront.
Thompson still gave Buffalo something to build on with his offensive work, and he remains on pace for a strong scoring season. But the bigger concern for the Sabres is whether that production can matter if the rest of the lineup keeps leaving them exposed. The grades from the game reflected that imbalance, and for a team trying to climb out of its own way, the margin for these kinds of losses is getting thinner. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Loss To Tampa Exposed A Problem Fans Wont Ignore
The Sabres latest trip through Tampa Bay turned into one of those nights that can linger long after the final horn. The Lightning jumped out fast with four goals, Buffalo briefly steadied itself by scoring three straight to make things interesting, and then the game slipped away again in a way that felt all too familiar for a team still trying to find consistency in its own end.
Nikita Kucherov was at the center of the damage for Tampa Bay, and the sequence that followed Buffalos push only sharpened the frustration. After the Sabres allowed a goal on a backhand shot, the response on the bench said plenty about how the night was unfolding, and it left another reminder of how quickly a game can tilt when the margin for error disappears. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Have A Tough Choice If Penguins Start Selling
If the Penguins decide to move veterans, Buffalo could have real reason to pay attention. Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell both fit the kind of forward help the Sabres have been looking for, and either one would bring a different layer to a group that could use more proven scoring and playoff experience. Rust has long been valued for his all-around game, while Rakell has remained a name to watch in trade chatter because of what he can still provide offensively.
The fit is easy to see from Buffalos side, but the timing is complicated by what Pittsburgh does next. Rusts injury situation and Rakells recent surge only add to the intrigue, because the Penguins may not be in a hurry to make anything simple. For the Sabres, the question is whether they can strike if the market opens, and whether the price for that kind of upgrade becomes worth paying. [Read more 🡒]