Zach Benson Day-To-Day After Hospitalization
Sabres winger Zach Benson was a late scratch from last night’s season-opening loss to the Rangers, with the team awarding him a day-to-day designation after he took a puck to the face in practice on Wednesday. Benson wasn’t initially expected to miss any time, but it turns out that what the club thought was just a superficial cut was more serious and required Benson to be admitted to the hospital, head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters postgame (including Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News). He’s expected to be discharged today.
It’s a brutal start for Benson, who was expected to shoulder top-line duties for Buffalo out of the gate on the left wing with Joshua Norris and Tage Thompson. They’re now potentially down two of that trio after Norris left the game late in the third period after he fell awkwardly while taking a faceoff, with Ruff saying he was “disturbed” by the fact Norris wasn’t able to return following the play.
Benson, 20, is entering his third NHL season and is looking to convert some strong advanced numbers into more appearances on the scoresheet. The 2023 No. 13 overall pick hit the ground running with 11 goals, 19 assists, and 30 points in 71 games in his rookie season, but plateaued in his sophomore year with a 10-18–28 scoring line in 75 appearances. He’s averaged 14:40 per game for his career and finished at a 9.6% clip. While the point production hasn’t jumped off the page, he’s been one of the Sabres’ best at controlling possession, particularly last year. No one on the team had a higher Corsi share at even strength than Benson’s 55.6%, and his most frequent line combo with Thompson and Jiri Kulich controlled a strong 57.7% of expected goals, according to MoneyPuck.
The Sabres are hoping early October brings the worst of their injury luck as they aim to end a 14-year playoff drought. They were down the entirety of their projected second defense pairing last night as well, with both Michael Kesselring and Owen Power on the shelf. Kesselring remains week-to-week with an undisclosed injury, while Power was initially expected to be activated from injured reserve yesterday but was a late scratch due to illness.
Sabres Expected To Activate Owen Power From IR
5:32 p.m.: While Power’s cleared to return from his injury, he’s now dealing with an illness that will keep him out of tonight’s opener, along with winger Zach Benson after he took a puck to the face in yesterday’s practice, the team announced. He’ll stay on IR for now as a result. Both are listed as day-to-day. Ryan Johnson and Tyson Kozak will enter the lineup in their place, according to Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald.
10:21 a.m.: The Sabres are set to activate defenseman Owen Power from injured reserve before tonight’s home opener against the Rangers, head coach Lindy Ruff implied (via Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550). Buffalo opened a roster spot yesterday by reassigning goaltender Alexandar Georgiev to AHL Rochester after he cleared waivers, so no corresponding transaction will be required.
Despite being listed on IR for the Sabres’ opening roster submission, Power won’t miss any time. He’s been dealing with a minor strain since the tail end of training camp and was unavailable for Buffalo’s final two preseason games. The team first told reporters he was banged up on Sep. 30, presumably when they backdated his IR placement. As such, he’s already “missed” the seven days required for the designation.
Power, the first overall pick of the 2021 draft, is entering his fourth full NHL season. He saw more conservative deployment in 2024-25 than he’s gotten used to, averaging 21:19 per game after hovering around the 23-24 minute range for his first two years. Nonetheless, he managed career highs across the board offensively with seven goals, 33 assists, and 40 points in 79 contests. His defensive involvement was a different story. His -13 rating, 26 hits, 73 giveaways, 51.5 CF%, and 45.2 xGF% at even strength were all career worsts.
As such, he’ll be looking to get his all-around game back on track – a significant factor in Buffalo ending its 14-season playoff drought. While the club brought in righty Michael Kesselring from the Mammoth in the JJ Peterka deal this offseason with the primary objective of deploying him as Power’s partner, they won’t be able to do that tonight. Kesselring also landed on IR to open the year with an undisclosed injury and remains week-to-week. It’ll be Jacob Bryson, who would likely be scratched if everyone is healthy, opening the year with Power as a result, according to Buffalo’s practice line rushes earlier this week (via Heather Engel of NHL.com).
Power, still just 22 years old, is beginning the second year of the seven-year, $58.45MM extension he signed in October 2023. The 6’6″ lefty leads all 2021 draftees with 92 career assists, a touch ahead of forwards Matty Beniers, Wyatt Johnston, and Mason McTavish.
East Notes: Glendening, Senators, Sabres, George
While Luke Glendening didn’t land on the season-opening roster for the Devils, that shouldn’t be interpreted as him not having made the team. Per team reporter Amanda Stein (Twitter link), head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that the veteran is expected to sign with the team before they depart on their season-opening road trip which begins Thursday in Carolina. New Jersey has set up their roster for an in-season LTIR placement which should come as soon as Tuesday, opening up the cap room at that time to sign Glendening. The 36-year-old had just seven points in 77 games with Tampa Bay last season but won 57% of his draws, making him a serviceable specialist on the fourth line.
Elsewhere in the East:
- While the Senators placed winger Drake Batherson and defenseman Tyler Kleven on injured reserve today, neither have been ruled out for Thursday’s season opener, relays Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. Their IR placements were back-dated to when they were injured in training camp, meaning they technically have already served the required seven days. Both players skated for about 45 minutes today but haven’t been cleared to return just yet.
- Sabres winger Zach Benson (undisclosed) and defenseman Mattias Samuelsson (upper body) returned to practice today as they work their way back from their respective injuries. Neither has been ruled out of Thursday’s season opener. Meanwhile, winger Jordan Greenway (mid-body) and defenseman Owen Power (strain) skated on their own today. Unlike Benson and Samuelsson, they’re not on the active roster as they were among the long list of players that landed on injured reserve today. At this point, their availabilities for Thursday appear to be in question.
- Despite playing in 33 games with the Islanders last season, Isaiah George was sent to the minors today. Speaking with reporters (video link), GM Mathieu Darche indicated that the 21-year-old had a strong camp but the decision was made to prioritize playing time, something he’ll get a lot of with Bridgeport but wouldn’t have received in New York as the eighth defender on the depth chart.
Sabres Reassign Jiri Kulich, Activate Zach Benson
The Sabres have assigned winger Jiri Kulich to AHL Rochester, per a team announcement. The move paves the way for Zach Benson to come off injured reserve before tonight’s game against the Senators, which head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters yesterday was an option. The team’s Heather Engel confirmed Benson was back on the active roster.
Kulich, 20, was the final of Buffalo’s three selections in the first round of the 2022 draft. The Czech forward immediately came over to North America, suiting up for Rochester in his post-draft year. He was one of the club’s best players over the previous two seasons, accumulating 51 goals and 91 points in 119 games and representing them at the 2024 AHL All-Star Game. He made his NHL debut last season during a brief call-up in November, registering a -1 rating and a shot on goal in a lone appearance.
As such, his stock was high heading into training camp. After an impressive preseason, Kulich found himself on the Sabres’ opening night roster for the first time, although he was a healthy scratch for their season opener against the Devils in his home country. He’s gotten extended looks in the lineup, including a four-game stretch without being scratched in late October, but hasn’t been able to make the offensive impact the team hoped. Through eight appearances, Kulich has one goal and no assists with three blocks and five hits. It’s not for a lack of ice time – Ruff has deployed him for an average of 14:36 per game. He’s done well to get pucks on net, totaling 17 shots on goal, but he’s finishing at just 5.9%. The Sabres are also controlling 48.8% of shot attempts with Kulich on the ice at even strength compared to 55.5% without him.
Thus, a little more seasoning in Rochester should be helpful for the cerebral 6’1″ forward. His underwhelming start, combined with the fact that he’s the only waiver-exempt skater on the active roster, made it clear he would be heading down when Benson was ready to return.
The 19-year-old Benson hasn’t gotten off to the smoothest start this season either. He sustained a lower-body injury in the season opener, causing him to miss the second of the two games in Europe against New Jersey. He tried playing through the injury upon returning to North America, but after being held scoreless through six games with a -4 rating, Benson was shut down in mid-October. After a five-game absence, he’ll be back in the lineup against Ottawa on the team’s second line with Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn, per Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News.
Atlantic Notes: Ostapchuk, Zub, Laine, Slafkovský, Motte, Benson
The Senators papered Zack Ostapchuk back up to the active roster today after sending him down to AHL Belleville yesterday, per a team announcement.
Ottawa has now recalled the young center on three separate occasions this season. After initially cutting him from their roster on the final day of training camp, he’s been recalled thrice in the past week to serve as an injury fill-in while David Perron and Shane Pinto are out of the lineup.
Ostapchuk has served as the Sens’ third-line center between Noah Gregor and Michael Amadio and will do so again against the Sabres tomorrow, according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia. The 21-year-old went without a point in seven appearances last season but has managed to get on the scoresheet in 2024-25, recording his first career assist and a +1 rating while averaging 11:55 through three games.
While Ottawa will remain without Perron and Pinto for a while yet, they’re getting healthier on the back end. Defenseman Artem Zub will make his return from a concussion “sooner than later,” Garrioch said today. He’s been practicing with the team for the better part of the past week but will likely miss his ninth straight game Tuesday in Buffalo. He sustained the concussion in the Sens’ third game of the season against the Kings on a hit from L.A. winger Tanner Jeannot.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Canadiens winger Patrik Laine hasn’t yet debuted for the team after sustaining a knee injury in preseason, but his return timeline predicates he’ll hit the ice and return to regular-season action sometime next month. He’s still done enough throughout his career to put himself in consideration for a spot on Finland’s roster for February’s 4 Nations Face-Off, general manager Jere Lehtinen told Shawn P. Roarke of NHL.com. There’s a solid chance he won’t get to see game action before rosters for the tournament are due in early December, but leaving him off the roster would leave the already-underdog Finns without a dynamic offensive talent. Health has been a significant hurdle for Laine over the past few years, but his 0.91 points per game since the beginning of the 2021-22 season rank fourth among Finnish NHLers behind Mikko Rantanen, Aleksander Barkov and Sebastian Aho.
- Still with the Habs, winger Juraj Slafkovský practiced today after leaving Saturday’s loss to the Penguins late after a high hit from Pittsburgh forward Noel Acciari, relays Patrick Friolet of RDS. Slafkovský confirmed to reporters that he didn’t suffer a concussion on the play and will remain in the lineup against the Flames tomorrow, albeit in a slightly reduced second-line role alongside Jake Evans and Alex Newhook, while Kirby Dach takes his spot on the top-line alongside Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki. Slafkovský, 20, already missed three games earlier this season with a shoulder injury. When in the lineup, he has a goal and seven assists in nine appearances.
- The Red Wings will have forward Tyler Motte available on Wednesday against the Blackhawks after he missed the last seven games with an upper-body injury, head coach Derek Lalonde told reporters today, including Ansar Khan of MLive.com. However, he may still be out of the lineup as a healthy scratch after Detroit escaped their division-rival Sabres with a 2-1 win over the weekend. Signed to a one-year, $800K deal on the second day of free agency, Motte did not have a point with a -2 rating in four appearances with Detroit before exiting the lineup.
- The Sabres may activate winger Zach Benson from injured reserve before tomorrow’s contest against the Sens, head coach Lindy Ruff told Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. The 19-year-old has sat out the last five games with a lower-body injury he sustained in their Global Series games against the Devils that never wholly resolved. It showed in his performance, as he was held off the scoresheet and logged a -4 rating in six appearances when in the lineup for Buffalo last month.
East Notes: Michkov, Benson, Poltapov
One player has taken a clear lead in the heated race for the 2024-25 Calder Trophy as the league’s best rookie. The Philadelphia Flyers announced rookie forward Matvei Michkov has been named the NHL Rookie of the Month for the opening month of the NHL calendar.
The award likely came down to the wire with Montreal Canadiens’ Lane Hutson and Dallas Stars’ Logan Stankoven getting off to strong starts in their own right. Michkov still had the edge with four goals and nine points in 11 contests to begin his NHL career.
He’s also gotten off to an impressive start in the possession game with a 49.3% CorsiFor% at even strength. This metric adds even more credibility to Michkov’s Calder pursuit considering the Flyers are 24th in the league in the category with a 47.8% mark.
Other notes from the Eastern Conference:
- The Buffalo Sabres could be getting a boost to their offense. Heather Engel of NHL.com reports forward Zach Benson is “for sure” a possibility next week. The Sabres’ youngster hasn’t suited up since October 19th due to a lower-body injury and there’s some indication he was playing through the injury toward the start of the season. He’s already skated in six games for Buffalo this year but went scoreless while averaging 14:10 of ice time per night. The Sabres’ coaching staff is hopeful that Benson’s full recovery can put his offensive output back on the right track.
- In worse news for the Sabres organization, Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reports Buffalo prospect Prokhor Poltapov has signed a two-year extension with the KHL’s CSKA Moskva. Poltapov was eligible to sign his entry-level contract with the Sabres at the end of the current KHL season but will likely stay through the 2026-27 KHL season. Buffalo drafted Poltapov with the 33rd overall pick of the 2021 NHL Draft and the St. Petersburg, Russia native has seven goals and 16 points through 21 games to start the year.
Transaction Notes: Benson, Smith, Commesso
The Buffalo Sabres will have to wait a little longer for the return of their top prospects. As expected, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio reported earlier that the organization placed forward Zach Benson on injured reserve to make room for Nicolas Aube-Kubel tonight.
Buffalo has been fairly vague regarding Benson’s timeline, but he has sat out the last two games and the team’s most recent practice with a lower-body injury. There is some indication the injury has plagued Benson for much of the regular season with the youngster going scoreless in six games to start the year.
Line rushes from yesterday morning indicated that Aube-Kubel will assume the left-wing role on the team’s second line where Benson should end up upon his return. The organization will likely make the IR placement retroactive to Benson’s last game on October 19th meaning he’s already eligible to be activated once fully healthy.
Other transactions:
- With their road trip ending tonight, it was inevitable that the Carolina Hurricanes would shorten their roster. The team has done just that announcing they reassigned defenseman Ty Smith to their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. Smith has been with the team as a seventh defenseman for much of the road trip with his original recall coming on October 18th. Unfortunately for Smith, the team’s blue line was fully healthy during the road trip eliminating any chance for him to enter the lineup.
- Chicago Blackhawks netminder Arvid Soderblom has fully recovered from his illness meaning the team no longer requires goaltender Drew Commesso on the NHL roster. Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports the team has reassigned Commesso to their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. It marked Commesso’s first call-up with the Blackhawks this season although he has yet to make his NHL debut. He’ll return to an IceHogs roster where he’s already played two games this season with a .854 save percentage.
Snapshots: Power, Benson, Othmann, Sharks
The Sabres received some good news on the injury front today, as Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reports that defenseman Owen Power was a participant in practice after leaving yesterday’s win over the Red Wings in the third period with an undisclosed ailment. It’s believed to be an illness that kept him out of the third period Saturday for all but one shift, Lysowski adds.
Power’s presence is certainly a major factor in helping the Sabres keep their forward momentum. They’ve now won three in a row to get out of a tough 1-4-1 hole they put themselves in to begin the season, climbing back to .500 and third place in the Atlantic Division. Power’s been a big part of the turnaround with a goal and five assists in his last four games, although he’s currently tracking with the worst possession metrics of his four-year NHL career (although not by a significant amount).
The 2021 first-overall pick has been skating on Buffalo’s de facto second pairing with Bowen Byram. 22 next month, Power is in the first season of a seven-year, $58.45MM extension he signed just over a year ago.
In less positive news, Buffalo remains without sophomore winger Zach Benson, who wasn’t seen at practice today while he continues to rehab a nagging lower-body injury (per WGR Sports Radio 550’s Paul Hamilton). He’s missed three games with the injury this season, including each of the last two. When in the lineup, the 19-year-old has no points and a -4 rating through six games – clearly not himself after recording 30 points in 71 games during his rookie campaign last year.
More from around the league:
- Rangers left-wing prospect Brennan Othmann was left off the opening night roster and will now be out of action for the next little while. He’s expected to miss four to six weeks with an upper-body injury, AHL Hartford head coach Grant Potulny said last night (as relayed by USA Today Sports’ Vince Z. Mercogliano). It’s an unfortunate damper on a raucous start for the 21-year-old, who had five points (2 G, 3 A) and a +2 rating through three minor-league games. The 2021 first-round pick made his NHL debut last season, going without a point and registering six shots while averaging 9:05 through three games.
- The Sharks certainly weren’t expected to climb much higher out of last place this year, but few expected last season’s disastrous 19-54-9 record to not see any improvement. Unfortunately, a coaching change and significant roster turnover haven’t changed San Jose’s fortunes, at least so far. They’ve become the first team in NHL history to start back-to-back seasons with nine-game losing streaks, a stat first-year head coach Ryan Warsofsky called “truly embarrassing” following a 7-3 defeat at the hands of the hands of the Golden Knights last night. “I don’t think anyone’s happy by any means,” Warsofsky said post-game (via San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng). “There’s a lot of emotion in that locker room, frustration, anger, it’s tough right now.“
Atlantic Notes: McCabe, Pacioretty, Benson
Mitch Marner and John Tavares project as the two most high-profile players on the Maple Leafs roster eligible for an extension during the 2024-25 NHL season. The one seemingly closest to the finish line, however, is defenseman Jake McCabe with reports shortly before the season began indicating an extension was close between the two sides.
James Mirtle of The Athletic wrote in an article today (Subscription Required) that offered some comparables and context behind Toronto’s desire to keep McCabe around beyond this season. Mirtle highlighted Winnipeg Jets’ defenseman Dylan DeMelo as the most reasonable comparable although it’s difficult to discern a perfect one for any player. DeMelo signed a four-year, $19.6MM extension with the Jets almost a week before he was set to become an unrestricted free agent this past offseason.
If McCabe’s camp seeks a salary similar to 5.6% of the salary cap like DeMelo that would put his AAV at around $5.15MM. Since McCabe shares a desire to stay with the Maple Leafs beyond this season Toronto could manage to lower his AAV if they add a fifth year to his contract. It’s still a negotiation requiring fine-tuning with the Maple Leafs having several pending unrestricted and restricted free agents on the roster. It’s likely a situation they’ll want to avoid slow-playing less losing their third-most valuable defenseman.
Other Atlantic notes:
- Sticking in Toronto — veteran forward Max Pacioretty left the team’s game last night with a lower-body injury in the second period and never returned to action. There doesn’t appear to be any long-term concern for the injury nor any indication it’s connected to his past Achilles injuries shares Nick Alberga of TheLeafsNation. It should only keep him off the ice for the next few days likely making him an option for the team’s game tomorrow night against the St. Louis Blues.
- The Buffalo Sabres returned to practice this morning after a big win against the Dallas Stars but were still absent Zach Benson who’s been dealing with a mysterious ailment (X Link). Reports indicate Benson is nursing a lower-body injury suffered during the organization’s trip to Prague to kick off the regular season but the Sabres have been vague about his status up to this point. The ailment appears to have affected his play on the ice with Benson going scoreless through his first six contests while averaging just over 14 minutes of ice time per game.
Evening Notes: Matheson, Benson, Front Offices
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson is in the lineup tonight against the New York Rangers (as per Eric Engels of Sportsnet). Matheson left the Canadiens game last Thursday night with an apparent upper-body injury after playing just 7:35 during the first period. He didn’t return for the second period and was ruled out of the game. The 30-year-old then returned to the Canadiens lineup on Saturday night against the Islanders and played over 28 minutes, tallying an assist.
Matheson’s dressing tonight left fellow defenseman Arber Xhekaj on the outside looking in as the Hamilton, Ontario native was made a healthy scratch. It marks the second game in a row that the 23-year-old has had to watch from the press box as he didn’t dress in New York on Saturday night.
In other evening notes:
- Buffalo Sabres forward Zach Benson sat out tonight’s game and has been dealing with an issue since the team opened the season in Prague (as per Joe Yerdon of Noted Hockey). Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff credited the youngster with trying to play through the injury but said the ailment was beginning to affect his play. The 13th overall pick in 2023 is pointless through six games this season but has very strong underlying numbers and could benefit from a bit of rest to try and deal with the issue that has been nagging him. Buffalo doesn’t play again until Saturday.
- The Athletic ran a poll with 40 high-ranking league executives to see who they believe is the NHL’s top front office. Among the participants were scouting directors, senior advisors, general managers, and assistant general managers. The top three clubs in the rankings were the Dallas Stars at one, the Tampa Bay Lightning second, and the Florida Panthers in third. The Golden Knights and Bruins rounded out the top five. It’s no surprise to see three recent Stanley Cup winners in the top five, but what is surprising is seeing the number one ranking go to a team that hasn’t won a Stanley Cup since 1999. Although, the Stars did go to a Stanley Cup Final in 2020.