30-year-old winger appears to be heading to the open market on July 1.
The Buffalo Sabres and winger Alex Tuch have been negotiating off and on since the 30-year-old become eligible to sign a contract extension last summer, but there was no progress throughout the regular season, to the point that the veteran winger and his representatives paused negotiations.
“We had talks with Kevyn Adams and his management staff that didn't progress to where we wanted it to, so we decided to kind of hold off and go through the season a little more," Tuch said at locker cleanout earlier this week. "When Jarmo stepped in, we initially had some good talks, and then they kind of stalled out a little bit. They continued to talk (throughout) the course of the season, and at a point when we were starting with the playoff push, I decided that it was my best interest, and the best interest for the team to put anything like that on hold until after the season was over."
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on Wednesday’s 32 Thoughts podcast, the chatter coming out of last week’s NHL Scouting Combine was that there was “still a gap” between the two sides, and there has not been a lot of movement with just over three weeks to go before Tuch hits the open market.
Tuch posted his third 30+ goal season in four years, and had seven points in the first round series against Boston, but went pointless in seven games against the Montreal Canadiens. In spite of that, he is expected to draw the most attention on July 1, if the Sabres do not trade his negotiating rights before then or do a sign-and-trade at or around the NHL Draft later this month.
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Rasmus Dahlin was one of three finalists for the Norris Trophy after leading his club to their first playoff appearance in 15 years, but last week it was revealed that he finished third behind Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski and Cale Makar. On Tuesday, the Buffalo Sabres team captain learned that he finished second behind countryman and Team Sweden teammate Gabriel Landeskog in voting for the Bill Masterton Trophy.
The Masterton is awarded “to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey” and is voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Landeskog returned to full time NHL duty after nearly three years after undergoing a series of serious surgeries to repair knee issues, playing 60 games for the President’s Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche this season. The 33-year-old received 69 first-place votes and 509 points. Dahlin received 53 first-place votes and finished 110 points behind Landeskog. Jonathan Toews of the Winnipeg Jets finished third.
Award season was a disappointment for members of the Sabres organization, with Dahlin’s second and third place finishes, and Lindy Ruff finishing just behind Tampa’s Jon Cooper for the Jack Adams for coach of the year.
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