You know the phrase, “The rich get richer”?
That’s the Buffalo Sabres for you.
The Sabres have had some incredible draft hits the past few years, whether it be the obvious choice of Owen Power at No. 1 in 2021 or other solid selections like Matthew Savoie, Jiri Kulich, Jack Quinn, Noah Ostlund or Isak Rosen. And that doesn’t include Devon Levi, who they acquired via trade from Florida.
The Sabres had one of the best prospect pools to begin with. And after taking Benson – one of the best natural offensive threats in the draft – at No. 13, the Sabres have added yet another high-end prospect to their arsenal.
There was a solid argument for the Sabres to go with a defenseman with the pick, such as Axel Sandin Pellikka. But that didn’t make as much sense once Dmitri Simashev went off the board. So they went best available player – someone we ranked No. 6 on Daily Faceoff’s final draft board – and got the star forward they can run wild with.
Benson is coming off a 36-goal, 98-point season, and also had 17 points in 15 games in the playoffs. He missed the start of the playoffs with what appeared to be a shoulder injury, and he didn’t fully look like he was at 100 percent once he returned. He still managed over a point per game. That’s just how good he is.
“His skill, his maturity, the IQ, it’s all there,” a scout said. “He plays a game built on outskilling and outthinking others, and it works.”
Watching Benson is like watching a mix of Jonathan Marchessault and Brayden Point. Benson’s skating sometimes looks identical to Point, while his work ethic resembles Marchessault’s. Either way, Benson is a future top-six forward with high offensive upside – 60-70 points a year definitely seems likely. And next year, I fully expect him to win the WHL’s scoring title.
At 5-foot-10, Benson isn’t a big guy, and his skating is a work in progress. The size is what it is, but the Sabres have a solid coaching staff who can work with him to fix the skating. So don’t be too worried there, Sabres fans.
It’s never a bad thing to have an influx of quality talent. At the very least, the Sabres could ship a few players out to get some veteran pieces to help them win sooner rather than later. The Sabres are on the upswing, with many expecting big things out of them this year.
Benson won’t change that in the short term and might even benefit from a year in the AHL, but that’s a huge weapon to have on your side – whether they keep him long-term or package him in the future. And one of the best parts? Benson is good friends with Savoie, the best Sabres prospect in the system. The pair played together at the Winnipeg Ice, and could be paired together in the NHL to give the Sabres a dynamic scoring punch. That’s a topic for another day.
In the short term, there’s still work to be done. They have to make the playoffs, for starters, and they’ll have to get some major wins on the trade and free agent market. In the long term, it’s easy to love what the Sabres are doing. With a young core, the future looks bright. They finally have solid depth at every position, and even some excess to make some big snags.
Sabres fans, you’re going to love Zach Benson. The scouting community sure does.
More must-reads: