Kekalainen could deal winger's rights before the beginning of free agency
The Buffalo Sabres have a number of scenarios involving their roster construction this summer, and with limited cap space available, it could force GM Jarmo Kekalainen to make some trades to clear salary or get something in return for winger Alex Tuch before he hits the open market on July 1.
The 30-year-old winger, along with Tampa Bay defenseman Darren Raddysh, will be the most hotly pursued free agent target. With just $12.9 million in available cap space and the price disparity between what Tuch’s representatives are looking for and what the Sabres are reportedly willing to offer makes the odds of him returning to Buffalo a long shot, especially with the salary cap going to $104 million this summer.
One option open to the Sabres may be to shop Tuch’s rights before July 1 to a club that wants the option of exclusive negotiating rights, but that would undoubtedly only yield a mid-round draft pick in return. Another option that could yield a more significant return would be to follow the Mitch Marner model that the Toronto Maple Leafs were forced into last June with the Vegas Golden Knights.
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Marner had determined, according to various reports his intent on signing with the Golden Knights, going back to the start of his final year in Toronto, and blocked a trade to Carolina using his no-movement clause at the 2025 trade deadline. In late June, the Leafs negotiated an eight-year, $96 million extension with Marner and traded him to Vegas for center Nicolas Roy. Vegas needed to clear Roy’s $3 million cap hit to fit the winger’s $12 million AAV and the eight-year deal allowed the Golden Knights to lower the AAV to a more manageable number.
With Tuch, the Sabres are the only club that can sign the 30-year-old to a longer term deal, and if he goes to market in July, the max he can receive is a six-year contract under the NHL’s new collective bargaining agreement. A sign-and-trade might be worth something to the club Tuch is interested in signing with, since it would decrease his AAV and it would be beneficial to the Sabres, with them potentially getting a higher draft pick, player or prospect in the deal.
Another situation that Kekalainen will have to deal with is RFA defenseman Michael Kesselring. The 26-year-old had an injury-riddled season with the Sabres, playing only 34 games, with two assists and 50 penalty minutes. The right-handed blueliner is only one year away from unrestricted free agency and after expecting to be a top-four defender with Buffalo, he is likely to be slotted on the bottom pairing.
With Kekalainen looking to extend Bowen Byram this summer, re-signing Kesselring to anything more than a one-year deal is unlikely, and with their being a dearth of righty blueliners in free agency this summer, the Sabres could potentially acquire a useful piece in return for someone who might not be in their future plans.
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