We need to talk about Zach Benson making the team this year, 2023

[Mr. MVP]

There are certainly going to be teams regretting not taking him that picked in the top 10.  

[RochesterExpat]

4 minutes ago, Mr. Allen said:

There are certainly going to be teams regretting not taking him that picked in the top 10.  

If we’re going full Kool-Aid… the funniest bit will be him winning the Calder over Bedard.

[North Buffalo]

Itll be interesting, he certainly has worked his arse off... not sure if he fully ready for an NHL season but 9 games should gives us a sense... 

[PASabreFan]

35 minutes ago, K-9 said:

There is only one bar for Benson making the team; being one of the best 12 forwards on it. And he has been proving just that in every game he’s appeared in. Feel free to provide insight into other borderline top 12 candidates who deserve it more. 

As to the rest of it, are both of my statements correct? If so, your contempt for forum members isn’t all that surprising, but I always thought your opinions were at least founded in observation. Apparently, you haven’t observed Benson enough this preseason to form an educated opinion one way or another. 

I don't think that's proven in preseason games. What if he's playing better than Tage right now? The braintrust will look at the whole picture.

[Scottysabres]

12 minutes ago, RochesterExpat said:

If we’re going full Kool-Aid… the funniest bit will be him winning the Calder over Bedard.

That would be awesome, and....if he sticks for the season, staying on line 1, barring any injury issues, this may very well be possible. It would be a season to remember if this came to pass.

[PASabreFan]

43 minutes ago, JohnC said:

If you have trust in KA's judgment on assessing players and putting together a roster, then why are you so resistant over anyone, young or old, earning a roster spot? You are like a student who when asked if the answer is A or B, your response is both. I'm not saying this in a mean-spirited way but you have been a caricature of yourself. It gets weirder by the day. What's next? If this team has a successful season are you going to say: I told you so! 

Nope. I'm not making any predictions good or bad. I'm just sitting here waiting for the bullets to be real.

[TheAud]

23 minutes ago, RochesterExpat said:

If we’re going full Kool-Aid… the funniest bit will be him winning the Calder over Bedard.

You mean finish second? Levi wins it, then Benson then Bedard?

[Taro T]

46 minutes ago, RochesterExpat said:

If we’re going full Kool-Aid… the funniest bit will be him winning the Calder over Bedard.

You honestly think he'll beat out Levi?

[Flashsabre]

You are sending the kid the wrong message if you don’t keep him for the 9 games at this point. He has earned it.

See how he does in the regular season and go from there but he has done everything you could ask of him so far.

[K-9]

34 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

I don't think that's proven in preseason games. What if he's playing better than Tage right now? The braintrust will look at the whole picture.

Of course the braintrust will look at the while picture, including practices, as they should. But it’s a simple, observable fact that nobody contending for open spots, of which there are precious few to begin with, has outperformed Benson in the game action we’ve seen to date. And you may indeed be right that the braintrust feels others are better suited. We will see. But in the meantime, please don’t insult our collective intelligence by saying we think he should make the team because “ he scored a goal in a preseason game.” Most around here are a helluva lot more hockey savvy than that. 

[RochesterExpat]

Interesting question: if Benson makes the roster, how do people think that affects KA’s willingness to trade other prospects?

Which of the other first round prospects are most affected?

14 minutes ago, Taro T said:

You honestly think he'll beat out Levi?

Do you mean whether I think Bedard beats out Levi or whether Benson does?

The truth is I don’t think anyone will beat out Levi for the Calder because I want to believe the Sabres make the playoffs this year. This team is forcing him into a position where, in order for that to happen, Levi is going to have a Calder-winning season. If I gambled on sports, I’d make the parlay bet any day: Buffalo makes the playoffs and Levi wins the Calder. Those events are not independent.

If Levi doesn’t win the Calder—and assuming Buffalo doesn’t undergo any substantial roster changes—then either the voting really is rigged and they just want to crown the new McDavid, or Buffalo missed the playoffs. The latter I don’t want to think about.

[Doohickie]

 

[LabattBlue]

2 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

 

Rick Dudley says hello. 

[DarthEbriate]

39 minutes ago, RochesterExpat said:

Interesting question: if Benson makes the roster, how do people think that affects KA’s willingness to trade other prospects?

Which of the other first round prospects are most affected?

If Benson earns the spot (and thus far, I've got him making it for at minimum his 8 games) and burns his 1st year of ELC, I don't think it impacts the other 1st round prospects. Rosen as a winger is still a season or two away, which means he's fighting for an Okposo/Girgs spot, Kulich and Savoie are 1-2 seasons from making it but play center and would take the Jost/Mitts roles. (Mitts can't be re-signed if he has another 55+ point season because he'll be a $7M on the open market.) There are plenty of spots still in the future. I love Quinn, but he may be the 1st round forward most in jeopardy from Benson. Quinn has had issues staying fully healthy. If Benson proves durable, he's going to fill that slot.

Now, if Benson continues his projection (min. top 6, possibly 1st line), do you buy out Skinner's final season to sign Benson long term? But that's an excellent problem to have in the future and the topic of a future thread.

[pi2000]

He's flashed, but there are things he needs to work on.

This team is ready to contend, they don't have the luxury of breaking in an 18 year old while in win now mode.

Maybe 2 years ago he makes the team, but at this point I'm not sure you can slot him in to the top 9.

And that's not a knock on him whatsoever. 

[Derrico]

7 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

He's flashed, but there are things he needs to work on.

This team is ready to contend, they don't have the luxury of breaking in an 18 year old while in win now mode.

Maybe 2 years ago he makes the team, but at this point I'm not sure you can slot him in to the top 9.

And that's not a knock on him whatsoever. 

But won’t they be in win now mode next year too?  Arn’t we thinking Atleast one of savoie, Kulich or Rosen are going to need to be broken in.  I’m fine living with that this year with benson then doing it next year with benson and one or two of the others. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

28 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

He's flashed, but there are things he needs to work on.

This team is ready to contend, they don't have the luxury of breaking in an 18 year old while in win now mode.

Maybe 2 years ago he makes the team, but at this point I'm not sure you can slot him in to the top 9.

And that's not a knock on him whatsoever. 

That’s the real question isn’t.  Can they afford to play an 18 year old kid when contending for the playoffs?   

My answer is yes they can afford to take the risk.  I would have argued like you did a few weeks ago, but seeing as Rousek, Kulich and Biro haven’t set the world on fire (although Biro has been solid) nor do they give us Quinn kind of upside at this point, I am willing to be more opened minded about it.  

After all, we are looking for a replacement for Quinn.  Rousek and Kulich are waiver exempt.  Biro would have to clear to be sent down, but I don’t think there is a huge risk of him being claimed.  

Looking at the forward group, I see Jost as the 13th forward with Z, Krebs and KO as the 4th line.  If we allocate Skinner with Thompson, JJP with Mitts, and Tuch with Cozens, we only have two wingers (Greenway and VO) to allocate, leaving a nice juicy top 9 spot for Benson.  

I’m not saying it will play out this way, but it is a growing possibility.  

 

Edited October 1, 2023 by GASabresIUFAN

[GASabresIUFAN]

14 minutes ago, Derrico said:

But won’t they be in win now mode next year too?  Arn’t we thinking Atleast one of savoie, Kulich or Rosen are going to need to be broken in.  I’m fine living with that this year with benson then doing it next year with benson and one or two of the others. 

Truth.  Jost, Z, KO and VO are all UFAs after this season. Somebody is going to replace at least 3 of those players.  Sounds like a golden opportunity for Kulich, Rosen and Savoie.  

Hows this for a talented lineup

Skinner, ThompsonBenson

JJP Cozens Tuch

Kulich Mitts Quinn

Rosen Krebs Greenway

I’m not even sure where you slot Savoie.

Edited October 1, 2023 by GASabresIUFAN

[pi2000]

18 minutes ago, Derrico said:

But won’t they be in win now mode next year too?  Arn’t we thinking Atleast one of savoie, Kulich or Rosen are going to need to be broken in.  I’m fine living with that this year with benson then doing it next year with benson and one or two of the others. 

Benson will be bigger, stronger faster next year.

This is preseason hockey, the intensity will ramp up significantly in the regular season.

Kulich is a much stronger player, I'm not concerned about him getting out muscled on the half wall. 

Benson simply isn't there yet physically and that's OK.

[Skooby]

It’s more of a risk to not have this type of drive on the ice, he’s a machine & anyone thinking different never played hockey. I know we have a lot of fans on here, I played and he’s the teammate you want and opponent you fear.

[GASabresIUFAN]

Another issue with Benson is his contract.  Sending him back slides his contract another year.  

[GoPuckYourself]

I think he should get the start regardless unless he looks completely out of place. He'll be bulking up or at least filling out in the nutrition program as the season goes along but his playmaking is very much needed imo. He just looks like the best player on the ice regardless who's out there and doesn't make much sense not to let him skate it out this season and get a taste of the NHL. His size is the only factor but he's been playing at that size all throughout the years so it shouldn't matter much.

[steveoath]

At the moment I would like to see him in Quinn’s spot. 
 

next year I’d love to see a tenacious scoring line of Savoie, Benson, Krebs (with Krebs being the centre). 

[thewookie1]

5 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Another issue with Benson is his contract.  Sending him back slides his contract another year.  

As long as he stays under the 9 game max he'll still slide

[Turbo44]

9 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

This is Old Sabre Thinking. If the goal really is to make the playoffs and make some noise, the bar for an 18 year old to make the team should be very high. I wouldn't weigh training camp and preseason that high. I actually kind of trust KA with this one.

Correct.

Have you watched any of the preseason. If so, you’d realize he’s been the Sabres best player in the preseason. If your goal is to make the playoffs, you put the best players in the lineup regardless of age. It’s all common sense. He’s not your normal 18 year old.