Alex Tuch (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
The Buffalo Sabres have temporarily silenced the doom and gloom of their 0-3-0 start with two straight wins, but that has not stopped the NHL trade chatter around Sabres forward Alex Tuch.
“The wins are nice, but what his agent said last week has only intensified the trade rumors on him,” one NHL source told RG on Sunday.
In an appearance on the Daily Faceoff Rundown Inside Edition with Irfaan Gaffar and David Pagnotta, Tuch’s agent, Brian Bartlett, announced that talks on his client signing a contract extension with the Sabres have been paused.
“We weren’t able to kind of get to what made a deal before the season. And then at this point, we’ve just put it on the back burner,” Bartlett said. “We had some good conversations, got kind of the parameters of whatever everyone was thinking. It’s very clear to us that the Buffalo Sabres would like Alex Tuch to re-sign long-term. That’s been communicated very well, very clearly, very effectively by (Sabres general manager) Kevyn Adams and the staff there.”
Tuch, 29, is in the final season of a seven-year, $33.2 million ($4.7M AAV), he signed with the Vegas Golden Knights, the team that drafted him 18th overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. The Sabres acquired Tuch – along with Peyton Krebs, a top 10 protected first-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and a second-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, in exchange for Jack Eichel back on November 5, 2021.
Prior to Bartlett’s announcement regarding Tuch’s contract talks with the Sabres last Thursday two separate NHL sources, unbeknownst to each other, told RG that the Sabres were already listening to trade inquiries on the 29-year-old Syracuse, New York native who has one goal and three assists through five games this season.
“Buffalo is listening on Alex Tuch,” the first source told RG last Wednesday evening. “From what I know, the Bruins & Oilers have inquired, along with a couple of other teams.”
Then, this past Thursday morning, another NHL source told RG the same thing but also added that should, Tuch hit the NHL free agent market next July, the Toronto Maple Leafs would be at the front of the line for potential suitors to sign Tuch.
“I’ve heard those teams have checked in on him too and while I can’t ever see them acquiring Tuch in a trade because of the rivalry with the Sabres, I’m telling you, the Maple Leafs will be at the front of the line trying to sign him if he gets to market,” the second source told RG.
Numerous calls and texts over the weekend were unable to confirm what other teams may have already inquired on Tuch’s availability on the NHL trade market, but one source did stress that unless the Sabres are completely out of the playoff race by American Thanksgiving (Nov. 27), or even the New Year, he doesn’t expect a Tuch trade anytime soon.
“I think this is more around the Olympic break (Feb. 6-25), or the NHL Trade Deadline (March 6),” the source opined. “The pressure is on for Adams to make the playoffs so unless they’re completely out of it, he’s not trading away one of his best players and leaders. Plus, Tuch has made it clear he wants to stay. If they’re still in it then and if he’s not signed, Adams could just make him an internal playoff rental. But that won’t stop teams from calling.”