Any hope the Buffalo Sabres and cornerstone winger Alex Tuch would reach an agreement on a contract extension before the 2025-26 NHL season gets underway is seemingly fading.
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported Thursday the Sabres and Tuch's camp have engaged in "numerous conversations" but so far there hasn't been substantial progress as the 29-year-old Syracuse native looks to potentially double his annual salary (currently $4.75 million).
"But much like the [Adrian] Kempe situation, what I'm hearing is that the Sabres and Tuch's camp so far aren't in the same ballpark as far as what the landscape will look like in the rising-cap world," LeBrun wrote. "I would imagine Tuch's camp sees a double-digit AAV as realistic in that world. And there's probably not a lot of motivation to be the first of these pending UFAs to sign."
The NHL insider concluded: "I think this gets done eventually. But I don't think it’s imminent."
That's a concerning update that suggests the Sabres will have to enter the new campaign with one of their most important players still an impending unrestricted free agent.
Buffalo Sabres must do everything possible to re-sign Alex Tuch before the 2026 NHL trade deadline
Tuch and the Sabres have been saying all the right things publicly since training camp got underway last week.
"Everyone in here knows I love Buffalo," Tuch told reporters. "I love being a Buffalo Sabre, and I would love to be here long term."
Buffalo general manager Kevyn Adams sounded a similar tune in his preseason press conference.
"The good news is that he's said the exact same thing about being here," Adams said. "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."
Neither side has placed an artificial timetable on the negotiations. Sometimes a player or team will state if a deal isn't in place by Opening Night they won't discuss it during the regular season. That hasn't happened in this case, at least so far.
Yet, the intrigue will arrive if an extension isn't completed before the trade deadline in March.
The Sabres simply can't afford to lose a player of Tuch's caliber to free agency for nothing. They're struggled mightily to attract high-end talent via trades or the free-agent market, so replacing him would be virtually impossible before next season.
In turn, a trade must at least enter the conversation if his status hasn't changed by March. He'd likely be one of the best players available at the deadline and Buffalo could get a hefty return from a contender for a strong two-way player who scored 36 goals last season.
That said, the situation could be further complicated if the Sabres make a serious push toward playoff contention. The Sabres haven't reached the postseason in 14 years and trading away a key player at the deadline wouldn't send an ideal message to the fanbase.
So, there are a lot of variables in play that will only make things more difficult once the campaign gets underway. Adams should make a serious, renewed push to get talks across the finish line before the Oct. 9 season opener against the New York Rangers.
Otherwise, the situation will hang over Buffalo like a dark cloud in the months ahead.