Buffalo Sabres winger Zach Benson has recorded a modest 58 points across his first two seasons, but one NHL analyst predicts he'll nearly match that total in 2025-26 alone.
ESPN's Rachel Kryshak selected Benson as one of her breakout players for the upcoming campaign, projecting the 20-year-old Canadian will tally 57 points (22 goals and 35 assists) after joining Tage Thompson and Josh Norris on Buffalo's top line.
"Benson is primed for a major uptick in every statistical category," Kryshak wrote. "After a 28-point campaign last season in which he averaged under 15 minutes of ice time per game, he's likely to play close to 19 minutes per contest this season. He'll also get opportunities on the power play and be in a position to play with better players than in prior campaigns."
It's the latest bullish prediction about the two-way forward's potential breakthrough season, which would provide a much-needed boost to the Sabres' top six.
Buffalo Sabres need Zach Benson to take his offensive game to new heights in 2025-26
Benson's goal-scoring production last season was underwhelming (he lit the lamp just 10 times in 75 appearances) but the underlying numbers were far more promising.
The 2023 first-round pick posted 18.3 individual expected goals (ixG), per Natural Stat Trick, which suggests his goal total should have been nearly double his actual result.
Yes, some of that is bad luck, but some of it is also a need to become a better finisher. He spends a lot of his time in the inner slot, the most dangerous attacking area on the ice, but he didn't covert his chances in those situations at a high rate. That must change.
Getting to play alongside Thompson and Norris, two accomplished NHL scorers, should help his cause. It's a vast improvement in linemate talent after spending most of his first two years in Buffalo's middle six, with an occasional stint on the fourth line.
Benson isn't interested in getting into the prediction business, though.
"I don't think I'm going to project anything," he recently told Rachel Lenzi of the Buffalo News. "I'll let the coaches put me where they think I'm best suited and do what I can."
Instead, the 5-foot-10 winger is focused on delivering better game-to-game production after some scoring droughts early in his NHL career.
"You look at the top guys in the league, they go through ups and downs," Benson said. "It's the hardest league in the world for a reason. Consistency and mentally being prepared every night, it goes a long way, and that's one of the biggest learning lessons I've had."
It's also worth noting the British Columbia native did produce elite numbers in juniors, including 98 points in 60 games during his final season with the WHL's Winnipeg Ice, so the offensive pedigree is there.
Put it all together — the past production, the underlying metrics from last season and his opportunity to play on Buffalo's top line — and there's good reason for the optimism that surrounds Benson ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Now it's up to him to deliver the breakout campaign so many Sabres fans and NHL analysts expect.