Zach Benson continues to outperform every and any reasonable expectation.
First, there was his incredible preseason, with the 13th overall selection in the 2023 draft recording seven points in six exhibition contests. Then it was his start to his rookie year, with the 18-year-old fitting into the Sabres’ lineup like a glove with four assists in his first eight contests.
Benson amazed again on Wednesday night when he scored his first career NHL goal. It was yet another shining example of how the teenager’s confidence has positively compounded with each passing game.
In the late minutes of the first period in the Sabres game against the Washington Capitals, Benson received the puck below the hash marks via Victor Olofsson and proceeded to put the puck between his legs en route to roofing it top corner past Capitals goaltender Darcy Kuemper.
Even more astonishing is that the tally marks his first ever in the NHL, and is likely to go down as one of the greatest first career goals of all time.
While history suggests he likely won’t stay past the nine-game threshold, Benson is making it incredibly hard on Buffalo to send him back to the CHL.
“I would suspect it’s not going to be an easy decision,” said Sabres coach Don Granato after the Sabres defeated the Blackhawks 3-2 on Sunday.
After tonight’s game, the Sabres will have to either send Benson back to junior or burn a year of his entry-level contract. There’s also a second deadline to keep in mind — the 40-game mark, after which point Benson accrues a season toward unrestricted free agency. Even if the Langley, British Columbia native remains with the team all year, there’s still a high probability he will represent Canada at the World Juniors.
Before turning pro, Benson recorded 181 points in 142 WHL contests with the Winnipeg Ice, who have since relocated to Wenatchee, Washington.
