Optimism is certainly higher with the Buffalo Sabres right now. At the time of this writing, the Sabres have a 22-15-4 record and are fourth in the Atlantic Division standings. A major reason for their big jump in the standings was, of course, due to their impressive 10-game winning streak. Yet, even with the Sabres impressing, questions about star forward Alex Tuch's future in Buffalo are naturally continuing to come up. This is because he remains without a contract extension with the trade deadline being under two months away. Due to this, NHL insider Chris Johnston ranked Tuch at the No. 6 spot on his latest trade board for The Athletic [https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6949917/2026/01/08/nhl-trade-board-panarin-sherwood-thomas/]. "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. It remains to be seen how the team’s recent stretch of hot play could impact his availability," Johnston wrote. If the Sabres are unable to sign Tuch to a contract extension once the trade deadline is almost here, they will undoubtedly have a big decision to make. Moving on from him would certainly be a big blow, but it would also be bad news for the Sabres if they lost him for nothing in the summer. Yet, if the Sabres continue to stay hot and end up being in a comfortable position in the standings near the deadline, they certainly could be willing to keep Tuch around, even if he still does not have a contract extension at that point. It is going to be very interesting to see what happens between Tuch and the Sabres, but his name will only continue to create chatter in the rumor unless he signs an extension.
