The Buffalo Sabres continue to be very busy leading up to the NHL Draft this weekend, and after trading veteran Alex Tuch in a sign-and-trade to the Washington Capitals earlier in the day, announced they signed forward Zach Benson to a seven-year contract with an AAV of $7.5 million.
Sabres' general manager Jarmo Kekalainen has not shied away from Benson being a key priority this summer for them. The former first-round pick was set to be a restricted free agent, and it wouldn't have been surprising if he received offer sheets this offseason with how he played this past season, particularly in the playoffs.
Benson's season got off to a tough start after he suffered an injury during practice right before Opening Night. However, once he returned, he made a positive impact and in 65 games had 13 goals and 30 assists.
The playoffs were really where he broke out with five goals and four assists in 13 games. The role he had only grew as the playoffs went along, as he moved up to the first power play unit and then the top line when the Sabres needed a spark for their offense.
Zach Benson and Josh Doan being under contract for seven seasons is a major win for the Buffalo Sabres
There certainly was some disappointment that the Sabres couldn't re-sign Alex Tuch, and Bowen Byram reportedly wasn't even interested in discussing a contract extension, but being able to re-sign Zach Benson is big for this franchise. Knowing that Benson and Josh Doan are now under contract for seven seasons with a combined AAV of under $15 million should give the Sabres major cap flexibility moving forward.
Doan was a crucial part of the Sabres in his first season in Buffalo after they traded for him last offseason. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen saw enough that he wanted to sign him to an extension in January.
The signing of Benson now drops the Sabres' cap space down to around $13.8 million, and they still have a few key free agents they may want to sign. That includes restricted free agent Peyton Krebs and unrestricted free agent Beck Malenstyn.
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