Jarmo Kekalainen is facing one of the biggest decisions he will have to make as general manager of the Buffalo Sabres in terms of what he does with forward Alex Tuch. However, the recent trade of Artemi Panarin by the New York Rangers to the Los Angeles Kings shows exactly why the Sabres can't consider trading Alex Tuch, even if they don't reach an agreement on a new contract.
Going back to the summer and before the season, an Alex Tuch contract extension has been one of the more discussed topics around this team. The Sabres' forward is expected to get a long-term deal with an AAV over $10 million, whether that is in Buffalo or somewhere else in free agency after the season.
For a player of his caliber, teams are usually looking to trade at the deadline to ensure they get something in return if he doesn't sign long-term. That is exactly what the Rangers did, and they got a conditional third-round draft pick and arguably the Kings' top prospect in Liam Greentree.
Buffalo Sabres can't jeopardize this season by trading Alex Tuch to avoid losing him in free agency
In the long run, it is a move that should work out for the Rangers, but they are in a different situation than the Sabres this season. The Sabres are competing for a playoff spot this season and shouldn't be overly concerned past this season.
The last thing the Sabres can afford to do is mortgage the present for the future. This is where it gets tricky because if the Sabres were going to trade Tuch, they would need a player who can help them right now. Those types of trades are hard to come by, especially where the Sabres would essentially need a player to replace Tuch's performance, in essence, a forward for a forward type trade.
Jarmo Kekalainen had to make a similar decision as general manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets with Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky both playing in the final year of their contract. Instead of trading them at the deadline, Kekalainen went out and actually added to the team. The Blue Jackets, for the first time in their franchise history, and the only time since, would advance past the first round of the playoffs that season.
The Sabres have been one of the best teams in hockey since the middle of December and are trying to end a 14-season playoff drought. It doesn't mean that the Buffalo Sabres general manager needs to mortgage the future to make a run, but adding future picks or prospects isn't as much of a pressing need as other franchises.