The Buffalo Sabres have announced that rookie forward Zach Benson is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Benson has played six games so far this season, recording two points and a -1.
Zach Benson has become a name to follow through the early season, wowing at training camp after going 14th overall in the most recent NHL Draft. His early jump to the NHL has surprised many, and Benson’s statistical profile may speak to the need for a little more time in the oven. He’s currently carrying a 43.44 CF% and 50.0 xGF% – modest numbers that certainly aren’t bad for an 18-year-old but are enough to make an NHL team look in another direction. The Sabres have three more free games of Benson before they’re faced with the decision of spending a contract year or not. If they decide he’s better off getting some more development time, he’ll be sent back to the Wenatchee Wild of the WHL, where teammate Matthew Savoie will play after his AHL conditioning stint.
The Sabres recalled undrafted forward Brandon Biro to the NHL in response to Benson’s injury. Biro will likely become the team’s extra forward, as Tyson Jost slots in to fill Benson’s role. Jost has played in six games so far this season, tallying two points, split evenly. Jost is in his first full season with the Sabres, after joining them partway through the 2022-23 campaign. He netted 22 points in 59 games with Buffalo last year.
The news of Benson’s injury is a tough blow for a Sabres lineup looking to elevate their young talent. It could also have negative implications on Benson’s case to stay in the NHL, as he’ll be fighting to both return to form after injury and keep an NHL roster spot when he returns to play.