Alex Tuch

Heading into the playoffs, all talks of a new contract for Sabres winger Alex Tuch were put on hold, something that is fairly commonplace to not serve as a distraction in the midst of a postseason run.  Now that Buffalo has been eliminated, those conversations can resume.

But it doesn’t appear as if they’re going to pick up in the immediate future.  The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta recently suggested on a recent DFO Rundown (video link) that substantive negotiations between the two sides could still be two or three weeks away from really picking back up.

The 30-year-old is coming off another solid season, one that saw him surpass the 30-goal mark for the third time in four years.  He ultimately picked up 33 tallies along with 33 assists in 79 games before putting up a bit of a mixed bag in the playoffs.  Tuch averaged a point per game against Boston in the first round but was held off the scoresheet entirely in a seven-game loss to Montreal.

Still, that shouldn’t affect his market too much as he enters as the top forward available, should he make it to July 1st unsigned.  The long-term consistency offensively will outweigh the rough couple of weeks to end his first playoff run.  It stands to reason that his camp would be eyeing Adrian Kempe’s deal with Los Angeles – eight years, $85MM – as a comparable, one that was just signed earlier this season.  As Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News noted, their overall offensive numbers are reasonably close with Kempe a bit better offensively and Tuch the better defensive player.  Accordingly, that should put Tuch’s next price tag in that range.

Unfortunately for Buffalo, that represents the bulk of their cap space this summer as they hit the offseason with just under $13MM in cap room, per PuckPedia, with a $6.444MM buyout charge to Jeff Skinner really affecting them.  Additionally, winger Zach Benson is a pending restricted free agent and is someone who GM Jarmo Kekalainen has said he’d like to sign to a long-term agreement as well.  Barring further roster moves, they can’t do that and re-sign Tuch.

That could very well be why discussions with Tuch aren’t restarting right away.  Knowing that he can’t sign Tuch and Benson long-term at this point, he might be focusing his energy on trying to open up some extra cap flexibility.  That would then allow them to come back to the table with Tuch with something closer to a market-value offer that wouldn’t materially hinder their chances of locking up Benson as well.  While trades are rare at this time of year, this is a time when teams start picking up discussions on that front to be ready for a busy period after the Stanley Cup Final concludes.

But there is certainly a risk to this approach as well.  The longer Buffalo waits to rekindle discussions with Tuch, the easier it becomes for him to just wait a little longer to see what other options might be available on the open market.  There is definitely a case for him to stay with his local team, one that’s on an upward trajectory.  But being the best forward available also certainly will have its appeal in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  For now, at least, he’ll have to wait a little while longer before the Sabres put their best foot forward in terms of an offer to keep him around.

Following a heartbreaking Game 7 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens in the second round of the playoffs, the Buffalo Sabres face a monumental question mark regarding one of their core leaders. According to a report from The Hockey News, pending unrestricted free agent Alex Tuch may have played his final game in a Sabres uniform.

Tuch, a Syracuse, N.Y. native, has spent the last five seasons in Buffalo after arriving from Vegas in the 2021 Jack Eichel blockbuster. While Tuch may want to remain with his childhood team, the upcoming free agent class lacks superstar talent, positioning the power forward to potentially strike it rich on the open market.

Back in December, newly appointed Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen emphasized the team’s desire to lock Tuch down. “Now we just have to agree on a number that works for both sides,” Kekalainen stated at the time. However, with July 1 rapidly approaching, that number has become a major mystery, largely due to a polarizing postseason performance.

While Tuch performed well with seven points in a first-round victory over Boston, he was completely held off the scoresheet and went a glaring minus-10 during the seven-game defeat against Montreal. While speculation suggests Tuch was playing through a significant injury that hampered his speed, the rough series could impact his ultimate leverage.

Despite the playoff struggles, Tuch’s teammates remain firmly in his corner. “He’s the ultimate teammate. He’s a leader on this team. He drives the bus for us,” star forward Tage Thompson said. “I would love to see him come back, but obviously, there’s a business side to it. I don’t know where his head’s at.”

With Tuch hitting the 30-goal mark in three of the past four seasons, his rare combination of size and offensive production will make him a hot commodity if Kekalainen cannot bridge the financial gap before the summer market opens.