The Buffalo Sabres have one game remaining before the nearly three-week Olympic break, and are well-positioned to end their NHL-record 14-year playoff drought. Even after a 4-3 overtime loss in Tampa on Tuesday, the Sabres hold a seven-point lead on three teams sitting outside of an Eastern Conference playoff spot. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on Tuesday’s 32 Thoughts podcast [https://www.sportsnet.ca/podcasts/32-thoughts/a-key-change-in-music-city/], Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen is hesitant to mess with the club’s chemistry and weaken their roster going into the final third of the regular season, which would indicate that they may not move veteran winger Alex Tuch before the March 6th trade deadline., Tuch, who scored a hat trick in a victory over the LA Kings last week, is second on the club with 48 points (22 goals, 26 assists). The 29-year-old is a pending unrestricted free agent this summer, and there has been no indication of any progress in negotiations on a contract extension in spite of the lines of communication between Kekalainen and agents Brian and Scott Bartlett being open. Other Sabres Stories Six Former Sabres Who Signed Elsewhere [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/latest-news/six-former-sabres-who-signed-elsewhere] Rasmus Dahlin - Norris contender? Tuch has reportedly been looking for more than $10 million on an eight-year deal, similar to the contract signed by LA forward Adrian Kempe earlier this season, and reportedly, there still remains a significant gap in the price that Tuch’s representatives are looking for and what Buffalo is willing to pay him. Friedman indicated that the possibility of keeping Tuch as an own rental past the deadline is increasing, but the odds of getting him signed before July 1 would seem remote based on players always wanting to see what options are out there on the open market. The trade of winger Artemi Panarin to the Kings on Wednesday and his subsequent signing a two-year, $22 million extension in Los Angeles may have decreased the odds of Tuch re-signing with Buffalo, since he could be the top free agent target this summer since the likes of Kempe, Kyle Connor, Connor McDavid, and Jack Eichel are re-signed and the salary cap increasing. Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffalo [https://twitter.com/MikeInBuffalo]
