The Buffalo Sabres are set to make the playoffs this year, but the long-term status of star winger and looming free agent Alex Tuch is still up in the air. Should the Sabres do whatever it takes to re-sign Tuch? Or should Buffalo move on from him?
As the Buffalo Sabres prepare to play Stanley Cup playoff hockey for the first time since 2011, they’ve got some in-house matters to attend to sooner than later – with the biggest being the contractual status of right winger Alex Tuch.
With 28 goals and 58 points in 66 games this season, Tuch isn’t going to set personal bests. But as arguably the best player on the UFA market this summer, you’d better believe he’s going to be well-paid, by one team or another.
Teams hunting for a dynamic power forward will happily give Tuch a significant raise on his current $4.75-million contract. At 29 years old, he’s in his prime, and he’s about as reliable a 30-goal scorer that’s available on the open market.
Additionally, Tuch led all forwards in blocked shots (113) last season – the most blocked shots by a forward since the NHL started tracking the statistic in 2005-06.
So, if he does depart from Buffalo, Tuch would leave a gigantic hole in the lineup. Among Sabres forwards, only Tage Thompson (19:09) is averaging more ice time than Tuch (18:49) this season.
Indeed, signing Tuch to a lucrative contract extension should be Buffalo’s Priority No. 1. If Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen does re-sign Tuch, he’d be sending a message to the team – that message being, “play well, and we’ll take care of you well.”
It’s not like the Sabres are hurting for salary cap space. As it stands right now, Buffalo has $ 13.1 million in cap space next season, and they have few players who aren’t under contract next year.
Giving Tuch, say, $9.5 million per season would ensure that Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin remains the team’s highest-paid player. Keeping Dahlin as the team’s top-paid player would paint a clear picture of who Buffalo’s best player is, but giving Tuch nearly $10-million per year would show that Tuch is a major part of the Sabres’ core. Preventing Tuch from signing with a Sabres rival is also important.
Recent reports from TSN’s Pierre LeBrun indicate that both parties are interested in working something out, but Tuch could be seeking a contract similar to the eight-year, $10.625-million AAV extension Adrian Kempe signed with the Los Angeles Kings. LeBrun also reported that the Sabres could counter with the $8-million AAV contract extension that Nick Schmaltz signed with the Utah Mammoth.
A middle ground could be achievable.
Alex Tuch has thrown 71 hits and blocked 78 shots this season. (Blake Dahlin-Imagn Images)If Tuch has a productive post-season this spring, his asking price could skyrocket. So it’s on Kekalainen to get him signed before he hits free agency. But, as it appears, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that he’s still unsure if something will get done before the post-season. His playoff performance will more than likely determine where Tuch ends up and what his contract looks like.
Yet signing Tuch could be a sizable emotional boost for the player as well as his teammates, and Tuch could rest easy knowing he’s going to be playing in Buffalo for the foreseeable future.
But we’re not worried the Sabres aren’t going to try their best to keep Tuch. Buffalo signing Tuch would be more good news for Sabres fans in a season in which the team has had lots of good news. In fact, it would be a terrible letdown at this point if Tuch isn’t a Sabre for the long term.
Buffalo has to do what it takes to keep Tuch with the franchise. Failure to do so should not be an option.
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