{"id":492179,"date":"2026-06-20T08:00:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=492179"},"modified":"2026-06-19T20:36:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T00:36:02","slug":"nhl-rumours-buffalo-fwd-fa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/06\/20\/nhl-rumours-buffalo-fwd-fa\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Rumours: Buffalo Sabres Nearing Extension with Young Forward"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Buffalo Sabres made it to Game 7<\/a> of the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, losing out to the Montreal Canadiens in a hard-fought series. It was the furthest they went in the playoffs since 2007. They had a couple of core groups of players to help them get that far. The older core including players like Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, and Jason Zucker. The other core included multiple young players that the Sabres developed through their system. According to one report, the Sabres are close to an extension with one of the more important long-term pieces to their team.<\/p>\n

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Credit Image: \u00a9 Kostas Lymperopoulos\/Cal Sport Media<\/span><\/p>\n

NHL Rumours and Buffalo Extending Zach Benson<\/h2>\n

Rumour: According to ESPN insider Kevin Weekes, Buffalo is nearing a seven-year extension with 21-year-old forward Zach Benson.<\/em><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.twitter.com\/KevinWeekes\/status\/2068023429312164256<\/a><\/p>\n

Analysis: Benson made himself a top priority for Jarmo Kekalainen with his postseason play. Benson had career highs in the regular season in goals, assists and plus\/minus. Benson accomplished those feats playing in just 65 games this season, a career low. The young forward was also quite the contributor in the postseason, with five goals and nine points in 13 playoff games. While the young man is still just 21, he now has 211 regular season games under his belt.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What a Benson Extension Means for the Young Core<\/h3>\n

The Sabres were bottom feeders in the league for years. The rebuild in Buffalo is officially over, and they’re starting to see the fruits off years of disappointment. Benson has been a full time NHL player since he was drafted into the league. Josh Doan also showed great signs of promise in his first year in Buffalo<\/a>. Noah Ostlund and Konsta Helenius are also showing solid NHL potential. They Sabres are in a great position when it comes to their young talent, and Benson is a massive piece to that.<\/p>\n

Benson is your prototypical playoff player. Despite his size, he is a monster in the corners, works incredibly hard, and creates chances offensively. He was consistently one of the best players for Buffalo in their series against Montreal. When guys like Thompson and Tuch failed to meet the moment, Benson looked heroic. Buffalo fans should be ecstatic to have Benson in Buffalo long term. He’s be the second young piece to extend in Buffalo, with Doan signing a seven-year extension earlier this season.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

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An INCREDIBLE effort by Zach Benson and he gets rewarded with a goal! \ud83d\udea8<\/p>\n

The @BuffaloSabres<\/a> are on the board! #StanleyCup<\/a> <\/p>\n

\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8: @NHL_On_TNT<\/a>
\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6: @Sportsnet<\/a> & @TVASports<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/tGuPeuqTEY<\/a><\/p>\n

— NHL (@NHL) May 9, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n