Time is running out for Alex Tuch and the Buffalo Sabres to reach an agreement on a new contract. The Sabres have less than six weeks to get a deal done before Tuch can start talking to every NHL team with the start of free agency on July 1st.
However, the Sabres are probably going to have to decide a little bit before that to give Tuch their best-and-final offer. If that doesn't seem like it will get the job done, they are going to need to start building out a plan on how to replace one of their top forwards.
One way they can help ease the loss of Alex Tuch is to try to work out a sign-and-trade with a team that Tuch is interested in joining. It is a path forward that could benefit every party involved, and something the Toronto Maple Leafs did last summer with Mitch Marner.
Sign-and-trades are more complicated but might be best-case scenario for Buffalo Sabres and Alex Tuch
These types of moves are a little more complicated than a simple trade because a contract needs to be agreed to before a deal can be finalized. For Alex Tuch, a move like this could be of interest because he can get an extra year on his contract, as NHL teams can offer an extra year to players who were on their team last season, while teams signing new players in free agency don't have that advantage.
Meanwhile, any team that Tuch is going to would probably jump at this scenario because they don't have to compete with the other NHL teams in free agency. It is going to cost them something in a trade with Buffalo, but that is a small price to pay knowing they have acquired the top free agent this summer.
The return won't be great, but for the Sabres, they can be smart in how they approach it to address a big need. Last summer, the Vegas Golden Knights traded center Nicolas Roy, who has primarily been a fourth-line centerman.
For the Sabres, they could use a bottom-pair defenseman, and that seems reasonable for a team that would be serious about trading for Alex Tuch.
There is no question that Alex Tuch has meant a lot to the Buffalo Sabres, and the Sabres mean a lot to Tuch, who grew up rooting for this franchise. However, the numbers are what they are, and if general manager Jarmo Kekalainen can't get the numbers to work, it is worth having an honest conversation about how to move forward.
In that conversation, Tuch might be willing to offer up the teams that are at the top of his list for his next franchise. That would allow the Sabres' general manager to get to work to see if a deal can be reached
It is never easy to lose a player like Alex Tuch and the Sabres probably are going to try everything they can to make sure he remains in Buffalo. However, if that is not going to be able to happen the next best thing is a sign-and-trade to ensure the Sabres get at least something in return.
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