The Buffalo Sabres are staring down one of the most complex roster decisions in recent memory. With the roster freeze in effect until late February, the trade chatter has quieted, but the contract discussions are screaming loud and clear: there is a massive gap between what Alex Tuch believes he is worth and what the Sabres are willing to commit.
If you were hoping for a hometown discount from the Syracuse native, you might want to look away. According to recent reports, including insights from NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, discussions have taken place, but they haven’t been productive. The sticking point? Tuch is reportedly eyeing a contract that exceeds the $10.625 million AAV Adrian Kempe secured with Los Angeles.
Let’s be real for a second—that number changes everything.
The $10 Million Dollar Disconnect
The immediate reaction to a double-digit million-dollar ask for Tuch is sticker shock. While Tuch is the emotional heartbeat of this franchise and a unique power-forward blend that is incredibly hard to find, is he an $11 million player? That puts him in the upper echelon of NHL scoring, a tier above where his production usually sits.
Friedman reports that despite this gap, the Sabres have zero interest in “making their team worse.” This is the correct call. The Sabres have finally found a rhythm; they are hot, they are winning, and trading a top-line winger in the middle of a playoff push just to save asset value is a loser’s mentality. Jarmo Kekalainen seems to understand that the goal is to win hockey games now, not endlessly accumulate draft picks for a future that never arrives.
The Case for the “Own Rental”
Friedman’s take is fascinating: “That says they could keep Tuch even if not signed, and if I was in charge, I’d do it.”
I completely agree. Sometimes, the “trade” is the games you get from the player during a postseason run. If Tuch walks for nothing in free agency because he refuses to budge off an 8-figure demand, so be it. The value of a playoff run for this young Sabres core outweighs the late first-round pick you’d get for him at the NHL trade deadline.
If Tuch is truly digging his heels in for Kempe money, he is effectively pricing himself out of Buffalo. Frankly, he might be overestimating his open market value. But for the next few months, that doesn’t matter. He is a Sabre, and he gives them the best chance to win.
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