The World Juniors is right around the corner, and there are a number of young players on NHL rosters that could still go to the tournament. The Buffalo Sabres are holding one of the top eligible young Canadians on their roster in Zach Benson. Team Canada left a spot open on their roster in case they were able to get a young player from an NHL roster. Benson is one of the forwards that the Sabres are waiting on, but Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News reported that it seems likely that the Sabres will hold onto Benson and he won’t attend the World Juniors this year.
The injuries have started to pile up for this young team that is in a playoffs or bust season. Jordan Greenway, Zemgus Girgensons, and Jack Quinn were all already on the injured reserve (IR), but just added to that group was Jeff Skinner after suffering an upper-body injury. The Sabres need all the help they can get and their goals have been way down from last season. With another scorer taken out of play, it is very understandable that the Sabres wouldn’t want to send their talented 18-year-old rookie overseas and away from their team.
Benson is Key Part of Sabres
Benson was taken 13th overall in 2023 and shocked many people by making the Sabres and sticking around. He has three goals and eight points in 20 games and is slotted to fill in on the top line left wing beside Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch.
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I expect Benson’s production to rise even more playing with top players on the Sabres. This team is trying to do whatever they can to stay in the hunt and make the playoffs this season. They have taken a step back from last season, but there is still time. Benson will be a big part of that.