Alex Tuch’s latest comments leave questions about his future in Buffalo

The Buffalo Sabres surpassed everyone's expectations by making the playoffs and ending their 14-season drought. They picked up a first-round series win over the Boston Bruins, but lost in seven games in the second round against the Montreal Canadiens. The season no Sabres fan, player, coach, or executive wanted to end, but now they must enter offseason mode.

For the Sabres, one of their main priorities is to see what it will take to retain forward Alex Tuch, who is set to be the top player in free agency this summer. The team wants to keep him around, but Tuch did open the door for a potential exit based on his comments.

While talking with reporters, Tuch discussed his impending free agency and potential contract negotiations. Tuch said he does not have a timeline for a decision, saying he'll have conversations with his agent and family.

"I don't have a timeline right now. I don't really have anything for you, I'm sorry. Like I said, I've just been so focused on hockey and the playoffs," said Tuch. "Once we are finished here today, we'll start having those conversations with my agent, my wife, my family, and with the Sabres."

Alex Tuch noncommittal on future with Sabres with free agency looming

That is understandable for any impending free agent that is in the midst of playing. They want to focus on that and then explore their options once their offseason begins. For Tuch, he can now explore his options. In further comments, Tuch didn't exactly commit to the Sabres, despite having an interest in staying with the team.

I"’m going to do whatever is best for myself & my family... I don’t know how the talks are going to go & I don’t know the future," said Tuch, h/t Matthew Bove of 7 News WKBW.

Tuch continued, saying that during his exit interview, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said that he wants him back. Still, Tuch wants to talk things over and then reach a decision.

In the Sabres' incredible regular season, Tuch recorded 33 goals and 33 assists in 79 games. In the first round series against the Bruins, Tuch had the most goals (four) and points (seven, tied with Tage Thompson) on the Sabres roster. He looked every bit of the player teams in need of a top winger would target in the offseason. But then, the series against the Canadiens happened.

Facing off against Montreal, Tuch didn't record a single point in the seven-game series. As if that wasn't bad enough, Tuch owned a -8 plus/minus ratio, the worst on the entire team.

Even with the rough second round performance, Tuch's agent Scott Bartlett told ESPN's Greg Wyshynski that he doesn't believe it will affect his market and price tag.

"He was very good in Round 1. These guys aren't robots. This is the game of hockey. There's stretches for any good player where things happen. It's not like he was not trying hard or showing bad body language or being completely ineffective. It's just the production didn't come," Bartlett said. "Again, these GMs are so used to that. I feel very, very confident that's not going to affect anything. He's not a 22-year-old player. This is not his first shot at the playoffs, where he just fell flat in his face."

Tuch has the luxury of taking his time to make a decision. This was supposed to be one of the most stacked free agent classes in recent NHL memory. However, Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Kirill Kaprizov, Kyle Connor, Martin Necas, and Adrian Kempe all decided to re-sign with their current teams before the start of the 2025-26 season. Thus, Tuch is the best player available.

While Tuch is open to staying, and various members of the Sabres want him back, it's not a given that an agreement will be reached. We should find out once we get closer to the start of free agency, which officially begins on July 1.

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