Buffalo Sabres winger Zach Benson, 21, is reportedly set to receive a seven-year contract extension from the franchise ahead of the 2026-27 season. The Sabres are currently working to iron out the deal for one of the most promising youngsters in the NHL.

Kevin Weekes, the ESPN analyst on the NHL, took to his official X account to share details around what the contract extension for Benson at the Sabres might look like.

“Per sources, I’m told the @BuffaloSabres are working away on a new Contract Extension for F Benson coming off a solid regular season and big playoffs, that could land in 7Yr x 7M+ AAV, comparable to their deal with Doan,” Weekes’ post read on X.

The potential $7 million average annual value (AAV) for Benson is similar to what his fellow teammate, winger Josh Doan, got from the Sabres, as noted by Weekes. Doan, 24, signed a seven-year contract with the franchise in January 2026 at $6.95 million AAV.

Notably, Buffalo selected Benson as the No. 13 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft after he had turned 18 years of age. In July of the same year, he signed a three-year entry-level contract with them worth $4.8 million.

While the AAV on this deal was $1.6 million, it included performance bonuses, resulting in a salary cap hit of $950,000 AAV, for a total of $2.85 million across three years.

With this entry-level deal set to run out this month, the Canadian would become a restricted free agent if the Sabres aren’t able to tie him to a new deal.

Benson's potential $7 million AAV would put strain on the Sabres’ cap space. They will only have less than $5 million available on the table to keep hold of their other key players.

That will make it almost impossible to convince both unrestricted free agent Alex Tuch and restricted free agent Peyton Krebs to stay in Buffalo. In a realistic scenario, they could re-sign Krebs, who is looking for $4 million AAV.

Regardless, their team is reportedly prioritizing Benson.

Zach Benson's performance with the Buffalo Sabres last season

The contract extension for Zach Benson is likely to happen on the back of his stellar first three seasons with the Buffalo Sabres in the NHL.

In the 2025-26 season, Benson registered a career-high 43 points (13G /30A) in 65 games despite missing out on 17 games due to multiple injuries.

Across all three seasons so far, Benson has played 211 matches in the regular season, scoring a total of 101 points, 34 goals, and 67 assists.

After that, he made 13 Stanley Cup Playoff appearances in 2026, scoring nine points for five goals and four assists while averaging 17:06 minutes on the ice.

For a winger on an upward trajectory, these numbers are highly expected to improve in the next few seasons. The Sabres might be looking at this eventuality as a reason for making him their biggest priority this offseason.

Will Zach Benson agree to a potential contract extension with the Buffalo Sabres? Let us know your prediction in the comments.

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Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi