A recent 2023 draft pick is already making the Canadiens and several NHL teams look bad

Although it's too early to analyze the recent selections of a draft class, there are always players who quickly give the impression of being steals, making the organizations that passed on them look bad.

Even though the 2023 draft is only a few months old, one player is currently standing out during the preseason games, a certain Zach Benson, who was the 13th overall pick by the Buffalo Sabres.

In five games so far, the 18-year-old forward has accumulated five points, thereby tying the total of the first pick of the 2023 draft, Connor Bedard. He even leads by three points over Adam Fantilli, who was the third pick of that same draft.

He will also be in the Sabres' lineup for tonight's game, as he is the only player who didn't play in the NHL last year. That's truly incredible!

Considering the Canadiens didn't dare to take a chance with Matvei Michkov at the 5th spot, who is also on fire in the KHL this season, boasting a total of five goals and 11 points in 10 games so far, Benson also had elite offensive talent, in addition to having exceptional tenacity for a player of his size.

It's clear that his physique of 5 feet 10 inches and 172 pounds scared several teams, including the Canadiens, and it's this kind of motivation that quickly leads to regret over not picking them. One can think of the teams that said no to Cole Caufield in 2019.

Let's hope for the Canadiens that David Reinbacher becomes a top-tier defenseman, because Benson is likely to give nightmares to the organization if he becomes an elite player in the NHL, which he already seems to be hinting at.