Alex Tuch can end questions about his future with the Buffalo Sabres in the blink of an eye.
Tuch, an impending unrestricted free agent, can call agent Brian Bartlett and let him know to hammer out a deal with Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, even if that means the Syracuse native has to lower his asking price by a few million dollars annually.
Perhaps he can take inspiration from Buffalo Bills center Connor McGovern, who just signed a four-year, $52 million contract to remain with the city's NFL team.
"$13 million is a whole hell of a lot of money," McGovern told reporters Tuesday. "If me and my family can't live off that, shame on us...is a couple million dollars worth our happiness here? Is that going to change our lives? We decided 'no' and we thought the best fit would be here in Buffalo."
The 2024 Pro Bowl selection definitely left some money on the table to stay with the Bills. Two day later, fellow top-tier center Tyler Linderbaum inked a three-year, $81 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Tuch finds himself in a similar situation. The 29-year-old power forward can hit the open market and take the largest contract offered, which could approach (or maybe even exceed) $11 million per season.
The Sabres likely won't be able to compete at that number.
They are facing some tight financial constraints this summer, in large part because of a $6.4 million dead-cap hit stemming from the Jeff Skinner buyout, and they have other free agents to re-sign, too. It's a group that includes RFAs Zach Benson, Peyton Krebs and Michael Kesselring.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet previously reported the Sabres offered Tuch an extension "somewhere in the eights," which is well within fair-market value, even if it's not at the top end of that spectrum.
The 2014 first-round pick will soon have to decide whether staying in Buffalo is worth dropping his salary demands to a more palatable number amid the organization's cap crunch.
Alex Tuch has been a driving force behind the Buffalo Sabres' surge into the Atlantic Division title race
Tuch was a man on a mission in Sunday's crazy 8-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning to take over the Atlantic Division lead. He finished the Game of the Year contender with two goals, three hits and a pair of blocked shots while playing meaningful minutes in all three phases.
The 6-foot-4 winger is three goals away from his third 30-goal campaign in the past four years, and he's on pace for a 72 points. Last season, he established a new NHL record for a forward with 113 blocked shots.
Quite simply, there aren't many players around the league who can match his all-around impact, and his value only further increases when you consider his importance as a leader for Buffalo.
The Sabres have been steamrolling through opponents lately, as well. They've posted a 28-5-2 record over their last 35 contests to skyrocket from last in the Eastern Conference to second place, and they're only two points behind the East-leading Carolina Hurricanes.
It led the club's front office to keep Tuch as an "own rental" for the stretch run of the regular season and the playoffs despite his UFA status. He was too valuable to trade away for draft picks and prospects.
Yet, losing him for nothing in free agency will sting if that's the outcome in July, especially since he'd leave such a massive hole for the Blue and Gold in every aspect.
The Sabres will hope that's not how this story ends.
Tuch has stated going back to training camp that he'd like to find a solution to stay in Buffalo. Kekalainen confirmed after taking over the GM role in December that he wanted the winger to stay. And Sabres fans would obviously like him to remain in the 716 for the long haul.
Whether the price will ever be right for all parties involved in the only unanswered question, and reaching this stage of the year without an answer comes with ample risk.
Tuch can relieve all of that tension by telling his agent he's willing to take a "hometown discount" to stay with the Sabres.
If that doesn't happen now, perhaps getting to experience a few playoff games in downtown Buffalo will be enough to change his mind.