Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said he couldn't provide a definitive timetable for Zach Benson to make his return to the lineup. The team originally hoped the winger would come back quickly from a lower-body injury after being placed on injured reserve on Oct. 31.
"He's progressing, but it's a little slower than I thought," Ruff told reporters ahead of Thursday night's game against the St. Louis Blues.
Benson missed the first three games of the 2025-26 season after being hit in the face with a puck during practice, which led him to get hospitalized.
The 20-year-old Canadian returned to make an immediate impact for the Sabres, tallying eight assists in eight appearances before landing on IR.
Buffalo Sabres forward lines are in turmoil amid the Zach Benson absence and other injuries
The Sabres' problems up front, which stem from an endless stream of injuries that began in training camp, can be summed up this way: Jordan Greenway skated on the first line in Tuesday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Utah Mammoth.
Greenway, 28, can be a solid bottom-six forward when playing his best hockey, but he should never come anywhere near the top line. He's never scored more than 32 points in a season.
Buffalo will continue to juggle its lines until key players return. Josh Norris, Jiri Kulich, Jason Zucker, Tyson Kozak and Justin Danforth are the other forwards currently sidelined, though Kozak could make his return Thursday against the Blues.
That's a lot of talent missing for a team that opened the campaign with questions about whether it had enough scoring depth at baseline. Every injury brings that issue further into the spotlight.
Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams may have little choice beyond making an early-season trade if the issues persist. The Blue and Gold are already running out of prospects capable of filling the voids, though both Noah Ostlund and Isak Rosen have been impressive in their NHL roles so far.
Meanwhile, Benson already dealing with his second injury of the season is an unfortunate setback for both the rapidly improving winger and the Sabres.
The 2023 first-round pick was ticketed for a breakout season based on his strong two-way metrics early in his NHL career and his opportunity to join Buffalo's top line alongside Norris and Tage Thompson.
Alas, Norris suffered his own injury before Benson returned to the lineup and Thompson hasn't been driving play at his usual rate early in the campaign. So, what looked like a high-upside first line on paper, hasn't been able to live up to that promise.
The Sabres will hope they're eventually able to leave the injury issues in the rear-view mirror and, potentially paired with a marquee trade acquisition, the offense could ultimately hit its stride.
Of course, the less optimistic viewpoint would suggest the injuries have showed no signs of slowing down and the offense is floundering as a result.
Buffalo will hope Benson can avoid any further setbacks and stay healthy once he makes his next return to the ice. He's a game-changer when playing his best hockey.