Sabres sign Zach Benson to seven-year, $52.5 million extension

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/benson-zach/8hvfmoQc/"]Benson[/a], 21, is coming off a career-best third season after putting up 13 goals and 30 assists (43 points) in 65 games. He took an [i]insane[/i] leap in the +/- stat, going from a -2 in 2024-2025 to a stellar +27 this past season.[/p][embed guid="25c181d9-6c15-4ab2-b8e6-976cf7aa7195" url="https://x.com/BuffaloSabres/status/2069937554158182730?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]The British Columbia native was taken 13th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft and made his league debut shortly after. During his rookie year, Benson posted 11 goals and 19 assists in 71 games, similar to his sophomore season (10 goals, 18 assists, 75 games). [/p][p]His extension comes after the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/buffalo-sabres/UobjtMIP/"]Sabres[/a] made massive trades that include sending defenseman [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/byram-bowen/ITJHpt5h/"]Bowen Byram[/a] to the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/chicago-blackhawks/A1kbmKeg/"]Chicago Blackhawks[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tuch-alex/fi2K37wb/"]Alex Tuch[/a] to the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/washington-capitals/UND9nmoG/"]Washington Capitals[/a]. [/p][p][b]Follow along with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/news/latest-nhl-offseason-trade-buzz/UgcSv6Z0/"]our NHL trade buzz article[/a] to stay updated on all the major deals this offseason. [/b][/p]