Buffalo Sabres’ Zach Benson out week-to-week after aggravating lower-body injury

Buffalo Sabres GM Kevyn Adams told the media on Tuesday that forward Zach Benson is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

Adams added that the injury is an aggravation of the injury that kept him out of a few games earlier this season.

The 18-year-old winger registered a pair of assists in his second game against the New York Islanders on Oct. 14, with his ice time bouncing between 12-15 minutes most games. Benson had recorded two shots since returning to the lineup, but hasn’t managed to find the scoresheet as the Sabres have started to bounce back after a difficult start.

Taken 13th overall earlier this year, Benson was one of the top-scoring draft-eligible prospects after scoring 36 goals and 98 points in 60 WHL games last year. He’s also expected to be a major part of Canada’s world junior team if he doesn’t end up sticking with the Sabres long-term this year.

Benson could return to the WHL’s Wenatchee Wild if the team believes the best course of action is for him to get more puck touches and opportunities back in major junior before making another attempt at a full-time spot next season.

The Sabres are last in the Atlantic Division with a 4-5-9 record. The Sabres shut out the red-hot Colorado Avalanche 4-0 in the team’s most recent contest on Sunday. Buffalo will head on the road to face Philadelphia on Wednesday before returning home against Philadelphia on Friday.

The Sabres recalled winger Brandon Biro on Tuesday, rewarding him after scoring six points in his first five AHL games this year. The team signed Biro as an undrafted UFA out of Penn State in 2020 before making himself a valuable piece of the AHL’s Rochester Americans.