While Alex Tuch is considered the top priority for the Buffalo Sabres as he is an unrestricted free agent and is widely considered the top free agent this summer, for Sabres' general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, the top priority should actually be Zach Benson. He is set to be a restricted free agent this summer and with a weak free agent class, he is a likely candidate to receive an offer sheet and the Sabres can't afford to not have the cap space to keep him.
Offer sheets for restricted free agents are rare in the NHL, and even when teams extend offer sheets, it is unlikely that the original team will match. However, this summer could be different as the unrestricted free agent group doesn't have much in terms of top-tier talent, and teams are going to have money to spend with the increased salary cap.
One of the players who certainly could benefit from that is Zach Benson, who had an incredible playoff run that capped off a breakout season. In 13 playoff games, he had nine points with five goals and four assists after a career-best 13 goals and 30 assists in the regular season.
Why Jarmo Kekalainen favors a long-term deal for Zach Benson
He just turned 21 years old and is seemingly scratching the surface of what he can bring as a player. In the end-of-season press conference, Kekalainen mentioned that and compared Benson to Josh Doan in terms of wanting to lock him up long-term.
"That's why we locked up Josh Doan early because we saw the character, the competitiveness, and the potential for a leadership role long into the future," Kekalainen said. " You want to lock guys like that up, and that's the same thing with Benson. I see him as a true core piece that fills all the boxes."
For restricted free agents, teams can approach negotations one of two ways. The first is to do a bridge-type contract that is only one or two seasons, as it gives teams time to evaluate while also allowing players to reach unrestricted free agency quicker.
That is what the Sabres did last season with Bowen Byram, and while it bought them some time, they are once again back negotiating a new deal this summer.
For a player like Benson, it is advantageous for the Sabres to sign him to a long-term deal now, and with Benson being as young as he is, he could still end up being an unrestricted free agent in the prime of his career in six or seven years.
Neither side should be overly concerned about the term with this next contract, but where the Sabres are going to struggle is with the limited cap space. AFP Analytics projected Benson's AAV on a long-term deal around $6.8 million, which is a bargain but would take up a big chunk of their roughly $12 million in cap space this summer. It would all but guarantee they are unable to re-sign Alex Tuch with the remaining camp space.
The Sabres certainly have some tough decisions and while Alex Tuch was a big part of this season, if the focus is to ensure sustained success season after season, then Zach Benson needs to be the priority and signed first.
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