Sabres' Alex Tuch is costing himself millions of dollars vs. Canadiens

Five games. Zero points and a minus-eight rating. If Alex Tuch is making his final appearances with the Buffalo Sabres, he's in danger of going out on an ultimate low note.

Tuch is an impending unrestricted free agent and his reported asking price has remained relatively steady around $84 million over eight years ($10.5 million per season) since last summer. The Sabres have been hesitant to meet those demands for a player who will be in his late 30s by the time a potential max-term contract extension would end.

The 30-year-old winger has been a complete non-factor in Buffalo's second-round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens. He's looked slow, has made consistently poor decisions with the puck and isn't driving play anywhere near the level of a superstar who deserves a double-digit AAV.

"I can't play the way I'm playing right now," Tuch told reporters after the Sabres' 6-3 loss in Game 5 on Thursday night. "Just going to be will and determination, but I've got to move past it. I've got to move on to the next game and I've got to be better for the guys in this room."

In fairness to the Syracuse native, who grew up rooting for the Sabres, he's been a cornerstone piece of the franchise's long-awaited turnaround. He scored 66 points (33 goals and 33 assists) in 79 regular-season appearances for the Blue and Gold this season while taking on a key role in all three phases.

Tuch has also met or exceeded expectations since he arrived back to Western New York in 2021 as part of the blockbuster Jack Eichel trade with the Vegas Golden Knights. He's tallied 309 points in 360 appearances while filling a leadership role.

Yet, the 2014 first-round pick has gone completely silent against the Habs. He's wilted in the biggest moments the organization has witnessed in two decades. It's not a fluke or the result of some bad luck, he's played terrible hockey throughout the series aside from a few solid penalty-killing shifts.

It's not just the Sabres front office, led by general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, watching him falter, either. A vast majority of NHL teams have started their offseason planning and are surely second guessing whether Tuch deserves a massive contract if he hits free agency in July.

He's already probably cost himself a fair amount of money with his second-round no show and, if his struggles continue and Buffalo fails to mount a comeback, it's going to leave some massive questions about his true value as summer arrives.

Make no mistake: Tuch is a good player. He's a capable top-six winger who brings added value because of his PK work and his willingness to block shots. But he wants to get paid like a borderline superstar, and those players can't turn invisible in the biggest games.

That's exactly what's happened with Tuch — fellow franchise pillars Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin have also underwhelmed, but they're locked into long-term deals — and it's a major reason Buffalo is now one game from postseason elimination.

Tuch has another game (or two) against Montreal to flip the narrative, and restore his Buffalo legacy, but there have been zero signs suggesting he's going to deliver the type of game-changing performances the Sabres need to save their season against a red-hot Canadiens squad.

It'd be unfortunate if the sudden drop off marks the end of the 6-foot-4 power forward's time with his childhood team, but it may also save the front office from making a costly mistake.

For now, let's check out the newest installment of our Sabres playoff player grades series after another dominant showing from the Habs.

Konsta Helenius continues to impress as Buffalo Sabres enter do-or-die time against the Montreal Canadiens

Sabres player grades

Buffalo Player of the Game: Konsta Helenius

Well, it's impossible to make any definitive statements based on a two-game sample size, but it's sure starting to feel like Helenius should have been in the Sabres' lineup all along. That's especially true as the Peyton Krebs first-line experiment comes crashing down (again).

Helenius showcased a lot of upside during a brief nine-game run with Buffalo earlier in the campaign, highlighted by a three-point outing in a Jan. 20 win over the Nashville Predators. He finished the AHL season with 63 points (21 goals and 42 assists) in 63 appearances for the Rochester Americans.

The Sabres found themselves in a situation where one more appearance by the prized prospect meant they'd burn the first year of his entry-level contract. It seemed like they wanted to avoid that outcome, but ultimately didn't have a choice as the offense sputtered vs. the Habs.

So, now the contract clock is ticking and Buffalo may only get three games of Helenius impact out of it if the team is eliminated in Game 6 on Saturday night. He scored his first career playoff goal in Game 5 and has been one of the Sabres' most dangerous offensive players in the past two contests.

On a more promising note, he looks ready for a full-time role with the big club in 2026-27, regardless of how the current postseason run ends.

Sabres quick hits

• Josh Doan and Zach Benson were terrific once again. If Buffalo is ultimately eliminated by Montreal, it won't be due to a lack of trying from that hardworking dynamic duo.

• Jack Quinn has put himself in prime scoring positions countless times throughout the playoffs but remains without a goal in 11 games. His lack of finish has really hurt the Sabres offense.

• Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has looked shaky in all four of his postseason appearances, including the games Buffalo managed to win with him between the pipes. Starting him in Game 5 was a risk by head coach Lindy Ruff and it didn't pay off.

• Alex Lyon was decent in relief and should draw the Game 6 start with the club's season hanging in the balance.
  

• The Sabres' backs will be against the wall when the Canadiens get their first chance to punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Final on Saturday night (8 p.m. ET) at the Bell Centre.

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