The Buffalo Sabres are likely going to keep winger Alex Tuch as an "own rental" ahead of the 2026 NHL trade deadline on Friday, but his future with the organization remains unsettled.
Tuch is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at season's end. His reported asking price on a long-term contract extension, which has remained relatively constant dating back to last summer, is around $10.5 million annually, though there's been some speculation the number has inched closer to $11 million.
Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic described the 29-year-old power forward as a "helluva player" on Tuesday, but he still warned the Sabres against meeting the 2014 first-round pick's demands.
"Should the Sabres give soon-to-be 30-year-old Tuch $11 million on a max-term extension? Absolutely not," Luszczyszyn wrote. "Should the playoff-bound Sabres trade Tuch? Also no. The vibes are too strong; moving one of their best players in the midst of their best season in over a decade just doesn't make sense."
The Athletic's NHL analytics guru previously pegged Tuch's market value at $7.1 million, which obviously represents a substantial difference from what he's seeking in order to re-sign now.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet noted he heard Buffalo had offered the 6-foot-4 Syracuse native an extension valued "somewhere in the eights." That's a fair offer on the surface, but it seemingly didn't move the needle for Tuch and his representation.
All together, it creates a complex situation for Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen to navigate, not only leading up to Friday's deadline, but also heading into what could become a busy summer.
Buffalo Sabres may only have one option left to keep Alex Tuch for next season and beyond
At this point, the Sabres may have to lean on sentiment to keep Tuch as a cornerstone member of the roster.
Keep him through the trade deadline, hopefully clinch the franchise's first playoff berth since 2011 and allow the winger, who grew up rooting for the Sabres, to experience postseason hockey in downtown Buffalo for the first time.
Perhaps getting to see the electricity inside the KeyBank Center for playoff games, along with proving the Blue and Gold are making concrete steps toward becoming a legitimate NHL contender, will be enough to convince Tuch to reduce his asking price.
The final number probably won't come anywhere close to $7.1 million, the estimate of his on-ice value, but getting it down between $8 million and $9 million is far more doable from Buffalo's perspective. The $10.5 million to $11 million range is just too rich on an eight-year deal.
If Tuch was willing to accept a short-term agreement (two or three years), it would be easier to get closer to his desired salary. Paying him a double-digit AAV into his mid- and late-30s simply isn't something the Sabres should be interested in at all, though.
Regardless of how the contract situation plays out in the coming months, it doesn't change anything about how Kekalainen should approach the deadline.
Although trading Tuch, likely for draft picks and prospects from a top-tier Stanley Cup contender, is the right move from a pure asset-management viewpoint, it would send the completely wrong message to the locker room and the club's long-suffering fans.
Kekalainen should target a few depth additions ahead of the deadline, ideally one forward and one defenseman, to give his team a real chance to make some postseason noise and then reassess everything in the offseason when he'll face somewhat of a cap crunch.
Tuch probably doesn't fit in those plans barring a sizable reduction in his salary demands, but things can always change over the course of the next four months.