This Sabres star is continuing to create chatter as a trade candidate.
While new Buffalo Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen is looking to extend Alex Tuch, the star forward is continuing to create chatter as a trade candidate.
Tuch was given the No. 3 spot on NHL insider Chris Johnston's latest trade board for The Athletic.
"The price has only gone up since talks went quiet in the fall. If Buffalo can’t make headway on that file, Tuch would be a valuable trade piece for an organization that’s going to experience some turnover. He’s a big, fast power forward with a proven ability to put the puck in the net," Johnston wrote.
It is entirely understandable that Tuch is once again being considered one of the top trade candidates in the NHL. Unless a contract extension is finalized between the Sabres and Tuch, questions about his future in Buffalo are only going to continue to come up.
Tuch is simply too valuable of a player for the Sabres to potentially lose for nothing this off-season. This is especially the case if they are still out of a playoff spot once we get closer to the 2026 NHL trade deadline. Thus, the star forward will be a player to keep an eye on from here.
If the Sabres officially end up shopping Tuch, he would generate a ton of interest from contenders. The 6-foot-4 winger is in the middle of a very good season, as he has recorded 11 goals and 28 points in 31 games. He also has a $4.75 million cap hit, which is very low for the kind of offense he provides.
It is going to be very interesting to see what happens between the Sabres and Tuch. If they are unable to get a contract extension finalized with the star winger, a trade could very much be on the way.