The Buffalo Sabres are hoping they’ve still got a while before they have to worry about offseason contract decisions.
But when the time comes, they’ll find themselves in a fascinating spot with Zach Benson, the 20-year old winger.
Benson is set to be a restricted free agent after the season, which means the Sabres maintain some control but will still have to reach a new contract agreement to keep him around.
On paper, Benson is a logical signing.
“The playmaker has enjoyed a breakout campaign in terms of his per-game production, but his 13 goals and 43 points came in just 65 games across an injury-abbreviated campaign, so Benson could benefit greatly from adding to his sample size with a strong postseason,” writes Matt Larkin of Daily Faceoff. “Analytically, he’s one of the best play-driving forwards on the Sabres; he would be a wise long-term investment.”
The problem is that the Sabres won’t have a ton of cap room.
And looming as potentially taking up a big chunk of that cap space? Alex Tuch, who is going to be an unrestricted free agent.
“The Sabres still have UFA Alex Tuch to figure out and quietly have only $13.15 million in cap space,” Larkin writes. “Could a Tuch extension force Benson into a bridge-deal situation?”
In a perfect world, the Sabres could ensure Benson is around for the long haul and then figure out Tuch.
In reality, even, Tuch leaving shouldn’t be that big a deal, as the Sabres could figure out how to reallocate that money elsewhere.
This could all come down to how deep the postseason run is and who plays the biggest role in it.
But Buffalo surely already knows the money is going to get tight in a hurry this offseason. They’ll have to decide how to portion it out.
More NHL news:
