Zach Benson signed a seven-year, $52.5 million contract with the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday. It has an average annual value of $7.5 million.
The 21-year-old forward could have become a restricted free agent July 1.
Benson had a career-high 43 points (13 goals, 30 assists) in 65 regular-season games for the Sabres and nine points (five goals, four assists) in 13 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Selected by Buffalo in the first round (No. 13) of the 2023 NHL Draft, Benson has 101 points (34 goals, 67 assists) in 211 regular-season games.
Benson’s signing followed Wednesday’s trade of forward Alex Tuch to the Washington Capitals for forward David Kampf, who will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.
Asked about Tuch’s likely departure earlier on Wednesday, Buffalo general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said one way to make up for the loss of Tuch’s 33 goals and 66 points would be to look in-house.
“We also have a lot of internal options for the role, getting a little bit more ice time, a little bit more responsibility, more offensive ice time, all those things,” Kekalainen said. “So I think we’re in really good shape.”
On Tuesday, the Sabres traded defenseman Bowen Byram and forward Jordan Greenway to the Chicago Blackhawks for the No. 4 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, defenseman Louis Crevier and a second-round pick (No. 45) in the 2026 draft.
Again, Kekalainen pointed to younger players such as Benson to rise into leadership roles with the loss of Tuch and Byram.
“We fill that void in my mind is that our young players who play like leaders like Zach Benson and Josh Doan, they grow into leaders and take that void,” Kekalainen said. “We’re going to miss some of that stuff with the veteran players that have been through a lot, but at the same time we’re going to grow here as a group and those individuals showed us already in the playoffs that they’re leaders by example and now they can take some more responsibility on.”
