The Buffalo Sabres took a massive gamble at the trade deadline, choosing to hold onto Alex Tuch as an internal rental for a playoff run rather than moving him for a massive trade package. Which some could argue made sense at the time; they went on to win the Atlantic Division. They won their first playoff series in 14 years, against the Boston Bruins. Unfortunately, they fell in overtime in Game 7 against the Montreal Canadiens in the second round.
Obviously, now that it’s August, we can look back and see what happened to Tuch. He stayed, didn’t have a huge impact in the playoffs, and then cashed in on a massive eight-year, $84 million contract with the Washington Capitals as part of a sign-and-trade deal. So, now would it be deemed a missed opportunity for the Sabres to decide to keep Tuch rather than trading him at the deadline?Â
Sabres choose desperation over logic
Typically, at the deadline, high-end top-six wingers in their prime tend to fetch massive trade packages that include first-round picks and top prospects. The Sabres had all the leverage to command a monster return for Tuch, a proven 30-goal scorer who plays a heavy two-way game. Instead, management prioritized immediate postseason contention over recouping future assets, something that they have a ton of.
While the division crown provided a moment of progress, they likely could have done it without Tuch. He only managed seven points in 13 postseason games and failed to show up in the biggest moments.Â
Realistically, the Sabres could have given that spot to another younger forward, or even another forward at the deadline after shipping out Tuch. Rather than losing him in the aforementioned sign-and-trade with the Capitals, bringing back just David Kampf, who eventually signed overseas, and a third-round pick. That return is a fraction of what Tuch would have fetched at the deadline.Â
It is clear that the Sabres wanted to prioritize making the playoffs for the first time in 15 years over anything. It makes sense; they ended the drought and got fans engaged with what could come next. However, it did end up with them missing a great opportunity to sell high on a forward that they likely knew was going to price himself out of Buffalo.
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