With the regular season well over, the time to reflect back and look at the performances of the players has come. When the 2023-24 campaign started, the Buffalo Sabres had a surprise rookie stun them and make the roster out of training camp as he impressed them throughout the preseason. Zach Benson was a scoring machine during that time, and displayed a work ethic that played him into a roster spot. As the season progressed, he did nothing but improve his overall game and even though his production for the regular season wasn’t spectacular, his play was something noticeable. From his defensive ability to his hard nose peskiness in the offensive zone, Benson was one of the most exciting players the Sabres had on their roster all season long.
Growing Pains Did Not Stop Benson
Benson, like most rookies, went through ups and downs as the season progressed. He had moments where he was hot and scoring, and some cold streaks where he didn’t. When he was showing up though, boy was he exciting to watch. A phrase that kept going through my mind and kept holding true was “Zach Benson does not score boring goals.” It all started with his first one.
The kid really was impressive by his ability to score creatively and diversely. Whether it was between his legs, a beautiful tip, a no look backhand, or just an absolute snipe show, Benson’s scoring was not frequent, but it was something to be marveled at.
By the end of the season, he had some respectable numbers, finishing with 11 goals and 19 assists for 30 points in 71 games. His worst drought was a 13-game stretch from Dec. 31 to Feb. 10 where he had zero points and even found himself scratched a couple of times, but that did not bring him down. He came back strong down the stretch as in his final seven games, he scored two goals and notched seven points.
Production is something that can always be improved over time and it was the little things Benson did well that kept him in the lineup night in and night out. He was moved around the lineup on a regular basis, and found success with different linemates, so his versatility is something that made him stand out all season long. As the Sabres move into next season, new head coach Lindy Ruff will have a fantastic asset on his roster to use somewhere in his scoring group.
Grading Benson
Considering how Benson played, and what he was able to contribute in relation to his status as a rookie, he deserves a lot of credit. His slumps can warrant docking points in some places, but overall, he was arguably one of the Sabres’ best players on some nights. The criteria I will be grading him and all the other players on include scoring, defense, leadership qualities, playmaking ability, and teamwork. With his youth taken into account and his work ethic on top of that, his grades are as follows:
- Scoring – B-minus
- Defense – B
- Leadership – B
- Playmaking – B
- Teamwork – B-plus
For a player with a lot of potential still to realize, this season was a great starting point for him. His playmaking was something that stood out to me on top of his team play. He was always in the thick of every play and did not shy away from a scrum or a dirty area of the ice to make a play despite his size. His draft pedigree of being a 13th overall pick almost felt like it was low and he could have been selected higher with how he played and how he showed he could develop. If he continues along the path he is on, the Sabres are going to have a lot of fun with him in the lineup.
Zach Benson’s Future
Looking ahead and thinking about Benson is probably one of the most exciting parts of the Sabres’ future right now. His former junior teammate Matt Savoie is also in the prospect system and was a dynamo in juniors last season, so the idea they could one day be teammates again is fantastic. His ability to see plays develop and create offense from every zone on the ice — even though he only did it in spurts — was a breath of fresh air, not to mention his ability to start getting under the skins of opposing players early in his career. If he continues down that kind of path, he may be a Brad Marchand 2.0 type player, and that is something the Sabres could definitely use on their team.
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Long term, I see Benson as a mainstay in their top-six forward group. He will likely be a primary scoring threat, and a key penalty killer to go along with it. As an all-around player, I expect him to take on a leadership role as well a handful of years down the line. That is not to say by any means he will be the captain, but it would not shock me in any way to see him wearing a letter on his chest in three-to-five years’ time. Benson had a great rookie season, and I have confidence that his sophomore one will be even better.