Zach Benson, Sabres Agree to Contract After Alex Tuch Trade to Capitals, Details Revealed

Left-winger Zach Benson is remaining with the Buffalo Sabres for the foreseeable future.

Buffalo announced Wednesday it agreed to a seven-year contract with Benson that will pay him an average annual value of $7.5 million and run through the 2032-33 campaign:

This moves comes after right-winger Alex Tuch is reportedly heading to the Washington Capitals:

Tuch first arrived in Buffalo as part of the trade that sent Jack Eichel to the Vegas Golden Knights and was one of the Sabres' primary offensive playmakers in recent years. He finished with 66 points on 33 goals and 33 assists last season and posted as many as 79 points during his time in Buffalo in the 2022-23 campaign.

Buffalo will have to find a way to replace his lost production, and Benson can be a major part of those efforts if he continues to improve with more experience.

After all, he is just 21 years old and coming off the best season of his career when he finished with 43 points on 13 goals and 30 assists. He also finished with a plus-minus number of +27 and helped lead the Sabres to the second round of the playoffs.

"The best version of Benson emerged in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, when he matched Tage Thompson's team-leading five goals and added four assists," the team's announcement explained.

"His typical forechecking effort and persistence on pucks reached another level and drove the Sabres' offense against the Bruins and Canadiens. Plus, his physical edge and nose for the net made him an irritant for opponents; he drew 11 penalties in the playoffs, third most in the league for the entire postseason."

Buffalo saw that performance as a sign of things to come.

"I see him as a true core piece that fills all the boxes," general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen said in May. "… I can't say enough good things about Zach Benson. He's got skill, he's got hockey sense, he's got instincts, he's relentless, he's a competitor. What a great playoff he had and, again, I'm so excited about the level that he can get to, still. … Just wait until he becomes the big, strong man that we're going to be pushing him to get to."

He now has plenty of time to reach that level with the team after agreeing to this long-term deal.