While most roster moves are not allowed over the next few weeks with the Olympic break, one thing the Buffalo Sabres could do is sign players to extensions. Jarmo Kekalainen was already able to get one of his big pending free agents signed to a new deal with a seven-year deal for Josh Doan. However, there are still a few other players who could get new deals, with Alex Tuch being the one who grabs most of the headlines.
Kekalainen could take a different approach and work on some other pressing contract extensions to provide clarity on how much cap space is left, or he needs to create this summer, for an Alex Tuch extension. From that perspective, the Sabres should be focused on getting a new deal done for forward Zach Benson.
Benson is in his third season at the NHL level, but has taken a much bigger role this season as he has primarily been on the top line with Tage Thompson. He has made notable improvements in the high-profile spot as he has seven goals and 19 assists in only 42 games while already tying his career-high in assists.
He has missed several games to this point of the season, and his absence has certainly been felt as the Sabres are only 4-9-2 when he is out but 28-10-4 in games Benson has played.
What could a contract extension look like for Buffalo Sabres' forward Zach Benson?
After this season, Benson is set to be a restricted free agent with no arbitration rights as long as the Sabres extend a qualifying offer (which they are essentially guaranteed to do). This will limit what Benson could negotiate around the league and any offer sheet he signs, the Sabres could match.
For the Sabres, they certainly would not want it to get to that point, and they could work out a long-term deal, similar to what Doan signed in terms of length, or a bridge contract that is only about two or three years. AFP Analytics offers contract projections for both scenarios, with a bridge contract being two-years with an AAV of $4.112 million, but a long-term deal at seven-years with an AAV of $6.852 million.
Both scenarios come with concerns, as the long-term deal would require a bigger AAV and limit the cap space the Sabres had to do other moves this summer. However, a bridge contract could backfire if Benson continues to improve and earn a massive contract after this bridge contract is up.
While it might be risky with a short-term deal, having an extra $2.7 million in cap space could help the Buffalo Sabres in the long run if this is the type of deal Benson would agree to.
By securing Zach Benson before the March 6th trade deadline, the Sabres can finally stop guessing at their financial future. This move provides the necessary clarity to navigate Alex Tuch’s massive extension demands and identifies exactly how much room remains to add to this roster for a legitimate playoff run.