While Sabres forward Alex Tuch has been the subject of trade rumors, moving him would come with some risk for Buffalo.
Buffalo Sabres forward Alex Tuch has been the subject of trade rumors early on this season. It is not necessarily surprising, as he is a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA).
If Tuch ends up still not having a contract extension once we get closer to the deadline, that would only create more questions about his Buffalo.
There is no question that Tuch would have the potential to get the Sabres a very good return in a potential trade, as he is a top-six forward who has scored 36 goals in two out of the last three seasons. He is also off to a strong start in 2025-26, recording three goals and seven points in his first nine games.
While Tuch could get the Sabres a strong return in a possible move, there would undoubtedly be risk in trading him. Finding a proper replacement for a player who provides as much as Tuch does would be incredibly challenging. This is especially so when noting that he is not an impactful scorer, but is also a key leader in their room.
With all of this, there is certainly an argument that the Sabres' top goal should still be to get Tuch extended rather than trade him. The Sabres are looking to be a playoff team, and moving on from the Syracuse, New York native would not make things easier on that front.
Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see what ends up happening between Tuch and the Sabres this season.