The Buffalo Sabres finally broke their playoff drought this year, but may be losing one of their key pieces. Alex Tuch and the Sabres have not agreed to a contract, and it seems that the forward will be testing free agency. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun has more on the situation in Western New York.
“But at the moment, having checked into things on Wednesday, even while no doors have been closed with the Buffalo Sabres, it appears more and more likely that Alex Tuch will head to market,” LeBrun reported.
The insider said there is a simple reason why the Sabres and Tuch are far apart: “I don’t think Sabres GM Jarmo Kekäläinen can bring himself to view Tuch in the double-digit salary world.”
Tuch came over from the Vegas Golden Knights in the Jack Eichel trade in 2021. He has 309 points in 360 games with the Sabres and was a key part of leading them to the playoffs. But his postseason performance was dreadful, with zero points in seven games against the Montreal Canadiens.
Tuch is from Baldwinsville, New York, a suburb of Syracuse with the full Buffalo sports fever. Playing for his hometown team, Tuch became a fan favorite and blossomed into an elite scoring winger. But he does not play center, and paying him a $10 million salary would complicate things for the Sabres moving forward.
The free-agent market is bleak this summer, with many stars signing extensions before the final year of their deal. If the Sabres do lose Tuch, it will be nearly impossible for them to replace him this summer. Trading for Jason Robertson would be one of the only options, which would involve parting with picks and giving him a massive salary.
Will the Sabres find a way to keep Tuch this summer? Or is he as good as gone?
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