Buffalo Sabres winger Alex Tuch, who was born down the 90 in Syracuse, doesn't sound like someone seeking an exit strategy from Western New York. Instead, the 29-year-old franchise cornerstone sounds willing to remain in the Queen City for the foreseeable future.
"Everyone in here knows I love Buffalo," Tuch told reporters Thursday. "I love being a Buffalo Sabre, and I would love to be here long term."
Those remarks should be music to the ears of Sabres fans. The forward's unsettled contract situation — he's eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason if an extension agreement isn't reached — has loomed large throughout the summer.
Tuch's comments came as he remained off the ice for the first day of training camp ahead of the 2025-26 NHL season while recovering from a "minor" injury.
Alex Tuch discusses Sabres status amid undisclosed injury
Tuch watched practice from the bench as the Sabres got in their first reps of camp. He was joined by goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who's dealing with a lower-body ailment that's left him with an uncertain timetable ahead of the team's Oct. 9 season-opening game against the New York Rangers.
The 6-foot-4 winger is optimistic he'll be back on the ice soon, though.
"I’m feeling great," Tuch said. "It was just a minor little thing that kind of snuck up on me right before camp, and I think we just wanted to make sure I didn't jump back too soon. Should be skating with the team in the next couple of days. Progressing really nicely, and nothing that I'm concerned about."
Buffalo is already dealing with several question marks within its top-six forward group following the offseason trade of JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth, so it can't afford to be without Tuch for an extended period of time. Luckily, it sounds like he'll be back at practice soon.
Josh Doan, who was acquired as part of the blockbuster Peterka deal, slid up to the second line for the first day of practice to fill the void.
Buffalo general manager Kevyn Adams wants to retain Tuch
Adams made it clear during his first press conference of the campaign that the front office is fully committed to getting a deal done with Tuch, who set a new NHL record last year for the most blocked shots by a forward in a single season (113).
"The good news is that he's said the exact same thing about being here," Adams told reporters. "He wants to be here. He's made it clear to me and to us, and we've had good, productive conversations with the Bartletts, that's his agency. And these things take time. We're going to work through it."
Tuch is a highly effective two-way player who'd leave a major hole in the Sabres roster if he left via free agency next summer. His departure would be much tougher to deal with from a lineup-building standpoint than Peterka's exit this offseason.
For now, it sounds like the sides are on the same page about working through the issues to get an extension in place. It's a tricky time period to work on a long-term contract because of a rising salary cap that's causing annually values to increase considerably.
Sabres fans can take solace in the fact Tuch was direct in his comments about wanting to stay. He wasn't hedging his position, as it seems like Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid is doing as he also enters the final year of his current deal.
That said, the sigh of relief won't take place until a deal between Tuch and Buffalo is done, and it sounds like that could still take a bit of time.
Concern will begin to ramp up again if the contract isn't in place before the 2026 NHL trade deadline in March. At that point, a lack of progress would force Adams to consider moving the winger because the organization can't afford to lose him for nothing at season's end.
That's the worst-case scenario, however, and for now it feels like Tuch and the Sabres are ultimately going to get something done to keep him in Buffalo for a long time.