Early this season, if someone told you that the Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres were both going to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, most people would have laughed with you. Then, you would have gotten another chuckle if someone told you that they would be matched up in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Well, that ended up being the case. Buffalo won the Atlantic Division with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, while the Bruins collected 100 points to secure the first Eastern Conference wild-card spot. Nothing like a Bruins/Sabres first-round playoff matchup, just like the old days.
However, this wasn't like the old days this spring as Buffalo was clearly the better team and took the series in six games. At the end of Game 6 at the TD Garden, and the outcome well decided, things got spicy between Zach Benson and Charlie McAvoy.
McAvoy was going back for an icing and was slew-footed by Benson into the boards. McAvoy responded by getting up and giving Benson a vicious slash. He was given a game misconduct and then had an in-person hearing with the NHL. He ended up getting slapped with a six-game suspension to begin next season. On Friday, it was reported that Benson is getting a long-term deal to remain in Western New York.
Sabres reportedly closing in on extension with forward Zach Benson
Kevin Weekes of ESPN reported on Friday that Benson and the Sabres were closing in on an extension for seven years with an AAV of $7 million. The 21-year-old had a big breakout season for Buffalo, with 13 goals and 30 assists, while averaging just under 16 minutes a night.
He was even better in the playoffs in 13 games combined against the Bruins and Montreal Canadiens. Benson, selected 13th overall in the 2023 Entry Draft, finished with five goals and nine points. Things could get interesting in one of the matchups next season between the Bruins and Sabres, and slew-footing is not something that teams forget. However, there's no denying that Benson is an up-and-coming player that the rest of the Atlantic Division is going to have to contend with for the foreseeable future.
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