The Buffalo Sabres and Alex Tuch remain engaged in discussions about a potential long-term contract extension with the winger set to become an unrestricted free agent if an agreement isn't reached before July 1.
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman of Sportnet reported the latest update Thursday, saying the Sabres have moved in Tuch's direction since general manager Jarmo Kekalainen inherited the team's front office from Kevyn Adams in mid-December.
"Buffalo's new regime's budged a bit with Alex Tuch, but obviously not enough yet that we've got a deal," Friedman wrote. "It's always hardest on the player, but there's a lot of experience in the negotiations (Jarmo Kekalainen and Josh Flynn on one side, the Bartlett family on the other). No one's going to panic. Maybe it gets solved before the postseason, but I could see this coming down to playoff performance. If Tuch has a big April, May and/or June, it forces the Sabres' hand."
It's also worth noting Tuch, a Syracuse native who grew up as a Sabres fan, will get to experience playoff hockey in downtown Buffalo. Perhaps that will get him to reconsider giving the organization a "hometown discount" as the franchise finally emerges as a contender.
The Blue and Gold have been the NHL's best team since early December. They've posted a 31-6-2 record over their past 39 games to take over first place in the Atlantic Division and move within two points of the Carolina Hurricanes for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
Tuch has played a key role in that success with 57 points (28 goals and 29 assists) in 65 games this season.
Where is Buffalo Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen's breaking point in contract talks with Alex Tuch?
Although exact numbers have remained tightly guarded, you can get a general sense of where the two sides stand with less than four months left before Tuch can hit the open market.
The 29-year-old power forward's reported asking price has remained relatively consistent since the summer: something in the range of $10.5 million annually on an eight-year extension.
Quite simply, that's too much. He'll turn 30 in May and there's virtually zero chance paying him a double-digit AAV will age well as he heads toward his mid- to late-30s.
His camp will point toward the Los Angeles Kings' Adrian Kempe, who signed an eight-year, $85 million extension ($10.63 million AAV) in November, to show it's a reasonable asking price. It appears that deal is more of an outlier than the new standard, though.
Last week, the Utah Mammoth and Nick Schmaltz came to terms on an eight-year, $64 million contract ($8 million AAV). The 30-year-old center's numbers are nearly identical to Tuch's this season.
So, it makes sense that Friedman previously reported Buffalo offered Tuch an extension "somewhere in the eights." All of the surrounding details suggest that's a fair-market proposal.
Ultimately, the situation is going to come down to whether Tuch is willing to reduce his demands to stay in Buffalo or if Kekalainen is willing to overpay to keep a franchise cornerstone.
There's more pressure on the Sabres' side. Tuch will likely be able to get his desired number, or at least somewhere close, on the free-agent market because he's the best player remaining after most of the impending UFAs decided to re-sign with their current squads.
Meanwhile, Buffalo is facing a potential salary-cap crunch this summer. Kekalainen has just $13.2 million in projected cap space to use (via PuckPedia) and has several other free agents to handle, including three notable RFAs: Zach Benson, Peyton Krebs and Michael Kesselring.
Re-signing Tuch, even at around $8 million per season, would force other roster moves. Adding another $2.5 million (or more) to the winger's annual salary creates some serious issues.
All told, everybody has a breaking point and Kekalainen would be wise to avoid paying Tuch every last penny, even if the forward's departure would create short-term lineup uncertainty.
The Sabres have to focus on building a roster capable of sustained winning, even if the immediate goal is making a Stanley Cup run with Tuch as a centerpiece.