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Zach Benson, Buffalo Sabres (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Buffalo Sabres 2024-25 Player Report Card: Zach Benson

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Jacob D. Strozyk | Last updated Apr 25, 2025 9:55 AM ET

While a majority of the Buffalo Sabres roster may have underperformed as a whole, by individualistic standards and statistics, many of them had very good seasons. Whether this was by offensive stats, growth in a player’s gameplay style, or simply just a promotion from the minor league to the majors in some cases, there were plenty of improvements from a number of players on the Sabres in 2024-25. When it comes to Zach Benson specifically, he has grown in the maturity of his game, adaptability, and overall strength at using the skills that he has developed over the last two seasons to become one of the Sabres’ most well-rounded and versatile players.

Benson’s Growth Was Beyond His Numbers

Benson’s stats were nearly identical to his rookie season as he put up 11 goals and 30 points in 71 games in 2023-24 and 10 goals and 28 points in 75 games in 2024-25. Where he did see some statistical boosts, however, were in his power-play goals, where he went from zero to three, and in the shot department, where he jumped from 98 in his rookie season to 120 this season. These stats both came from a distinct development in Benson’s game that was more and more noticeable as the season progressed. He went from a smaller-sized forward with a pesky attitude to a legitimate pest that was always around the net, irritating defenders, was strong along the boards, and always hounded the puck to maintain possession and create chances.

These developments got him noticed a lot more by head coach Lindy Ruff, and it caused him to move around the lineup a lot. However, by the end of the season, it had him manning the top line alongside Tage Thompson and rookie Jiri Kulich, as the three of them were a dangerous trio that balanced one another out to create some very potent offense for the Sabres. On top of that, Benson was a pain for the opposing teams to deal with at both ends of the ice, and he took his agitator role to heart even more. He was a lot more involved in scrums, using his mouth to mess with opposing players and jaw at them from the bench, or on the ice, all while keeping things clean. He is learning the right way to play his game, and it was outstanding to watch.

Grading Benson

Benson was consistent from last season to this season, and he did not really have too many large slumps this season where he went unnoticed. There were maybe one or two times early on where he looked a little slow or out of place, but he picked things right up as soon as he was back in the lineup, and proved his worth ten times over. He showed his dedication to this team night in and night out and had easily one of the best work ethics out of everyone on the entire roster. If he made a play, it was definitely noticeable; even if it was a simple one, and if there was some rough and tumble going on while he was present, there was a guarantee that he was going to be deeply invested and involved. With all that said, he has earned the following grades for this season:

There is still some growth left in Benson as he is a very young player in this league, but it is promising to see how much progress he can make in just one season. He has scoring ability, puck possession skills, defensive capability, and is an absolute pest for any opposing player to deal with. He is already making a name for himself in this league, and with time and a little more prowess, he will gain even more traction on that endeavor.

Benson’s Future in Buffalo

Benson needs to be viewed as one of the core pieces of this hockey team, and locking him up to a long-term contract as soon as allowed to be is paramount. He is developing into a leader and one of their best overall players, so keeping him around for the near and distant future would be in everyone’s best interests. There is nothing this kid cannot do, and having him become a core part of building their culture and what it means to be a Sabre is extremely important.

Benson is the kind of player that leads by example, and if the Sabres want to make the right changes on the ice, it starts with modeling it after a player like him. Letting someone like him be a role model for the other young players coming up through their system is super important, and he is easily the kind of player that could end up being one of the future alternate captains of this team. Benson has a bright and exciting future ahead of him in Buffalo, and everyone watching him should expect nothing but great things in the coming seasons.