“Going For It”: Sabres Have Made Their Decision on Alex Tuch

The Buffalo Sabres are sticking with Alex Tuch and will not be moving the forward ahead of the trade deadline on March 6. At least that’s the thought days out. According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, Tuch is not being moved to recoup assets, even though he’s a pending UFA and he could technically walk away from the organization in July, and Buffalo could be left getting nothing in return.

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Their consolation prize if that happens? A push for the Stanley Cup that their fans got to experience.

Friedman mentioned on the most recent episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast:

“I wanted to mention Alex Tuch. Buffalo is not a seller; they’re going for it. Again, I could make myself look really bad here, but the betting on Tuch is that he stays in Buffalo next week, whether there’s an extension or not. Even if they don’t sign him — and I would suspect at this point in time they’re not — I think he stays.”

This Is Not a First For the Sabres’ GM

He added, “And don’t forget that Jarmo Kekalainen has been in this position before. When Columbus won their first-ever series beating Tampa, they had some UFAs and Jarmo was in the position where he just said, ‘You know what? Yeah, Columbus has never won a series, yeah, we’re going for it and if we lose guys, we lose guys, and that’s what they did.”

This is a risk on the part of the Sabres. It’s simply one they’re willing to take because getting into the playoffs and giving their fans that experience is so important. It could also provide an environment and a feeling that would entice Tuch to stay. He hasn’t ruled out an extension, but the holdup seems to be the number. He’s seeking above $10 million per season and the Sabres aren’t comfortable with that number. However, if he dominates in the playoffs, or if the Sabres go far, one side might be more eager to get a deal done.

Friedman said of the Sabres situation, “And so he understands this. He knows how to handle it, and I think that’s the way he will do it in Buffalo. So as I record this pod late Thursday night slash Friday morning — my bet, Kyle, he stays. And even if he doesn’t have an extension — which he probably won’t by next week — again, things can change, but that’s my call right now.”

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