Buffalo Sabres rising star Zach Benson turned 20 years old in May and already owns 146 games of valuable NHL experience. The winger is now aiming to use everything he learned across those first two seasons to take his game to another level.
Benson, whose defensive play was tremendous for a teenager, needs his play in the offensive zone to evolve in order to reach his potential as a two-way force for Buffalo. He explained it starts with better game-to-game involvement.
"You look at the top guys in the league, they go through ups and downs," Benson told Rachel Lenzi of the Buffalo News. "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."
The 2023 first-round pick enters the new campaign with 58 career points (21 goals and 37 assists), and it wouldn't be a shock if he makes a push to double that total in 2025-26.
Zach Benson talks Sabres lineup role
A lot of conversations about Buffalo's forward lines for the new season have included discussions about where Benson fits in. He could land anywhere from the first line with Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch to the third line with Ryan McLeod and Josh Doan.
Here's the good news for the Sabres: Benson will thrive in any role.
The versatile 5-foot-10 forward said he's not going to play any guessing games about where he'll land in the Opening Night lineup for Oct. 9 against the New York Rangers. Instead, he's going to put his head down and work as hard as possible.
"I don't think I'm going to project anything," Benson told Lenzi. "I'll let the coaches put me where they think I'm best suited and do what I can."
Ultimately, where he starts will likely depend on how well he performs throughout training camp and the preseason. If there's a real sense his offense is about to explode, there's a great chance Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff will give him that first-line opportunity.
Benson doesn't feature a lethal shot, but he gets to the most dangerous area of the ice consistently. Finding a way to translate that into more points, whether it be capitalizing on rebounds or getting better at tips and deflections, is essential to his long-term success.
Buffalo winger's 2025-26 season outlook
The Canadian starred for the WHL's Winnipeg Ice before arriving to Buffalo. His 181 points (71 goals and 110 assists) in 142 junior games shows he does have offensive skill. So, getting his scoring rate to increase substantially this season isn't out of the realm of possibility.
What type of production would be considered a successful year, though?
Anything less than 40 points would be a disappointment for Benson. He scored 30 points as a rookie and that number actually dipped ever so slightly to 28 points in 2024-25. It's time for him to at least moderately improve in the area, even if he's on the third line.
If Benson is truly ready to take the next step toward stardom, however, it's reasonable to think he could make a push to crack the 50-point mark. That's especially true if he spends a fair amount of time playing in Buffalo's pretty talented top six.
Something like 20 goals and 30 assists shouldn't be out of reach, and those stats could even tick a little higher if he's part of the power-play solution after the Sabres traded JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth earlier in the offseason.
All told, Benson's breakout potential is high this season, but if that breakthrough doesn't arrive, he'll face renewed questions about his true upside heading into 2026-27.