While the Detroit Red Wings might have a few issues up north with Montreal Canadiens netminder Sam Montembeault, he won't be the only breakout player to give them headaches. As for the Blue and Gold? Zach Benson may be a player to watch.
Why is this? It's because you'll see Benson's name pop up on line projections right there in the first trio alongside Jiri Kulich and Tage Thompson. Further, the Sabres weren't trading JJ Peterka for Josh Doan (the furthest thing from a first-liner) or blueliner Michael Kesselring unless they had faith that someone like Benson would step up.
Well, put two and two together, and it might just be Benson's time to breakout, despite his disppointing numbers overall. So far, Benson's played in 146 contests, scoring just 21 goals and 58 points with a 9.6 shooting percentage. He's also averaged no more than middle-six minutes, and he's not the most physical, albeit gritty, player out there.
Don't let Zach Benson's lack of points production fool you
Benson's points output might be bleak, but harken back to his WHL days, and you get something eerily similar. Benson ended his 2020-21 campaign with 10 goals and 20 points in 24 games with the Winnipeg Ice, before the 2021-22 season saw him put up 63 points and 25 goals in 58 games.
While he played a lot better during the playoffs, averaging well over a point per game in 2022, Benson still hovered either just under or over that mark in both seasons. He didn't truly break out and dominate until 2022-23, when he ended the year with 98 points and 36 goals in 60 games, good for 1.63 per contest.
When you break these down to NHL equivalents, you'd see a major difference in those stat lines. That said, Benson's entering Year 3 and it looks like the coaching staff is ready to put way, way more trust into him should he end up playing on the line he's projected.
What gives Benson headache potential for the Wings and the Atlantic Division?
What Benson lacks in physical play he makes up for in grit, and he's not afraid to score dirty goals in front of the net. That's scary, because with Benson's 5'10, 170-lb frame, you'd think he'd be a better fit as a human highlight reel.
And maybe he can go into highlight-reel mode. But given how much trouble the Red Wings have had stopping just about everyone last season, the last thing they need is to lose track of a youngster like Benson. A youngster who can surprise everyone and come out of nowhere after spending Year 1 and 2 of his career getting used to the NHL.
Maybe Benson doesn't break out and someone else ends up on that first line and everything about this assumption is wrong. But to be real? I'm not counting on it. Not if it looks like he's moving from playing primarilly third-line minutes to the first line.
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