Ice Hockey
Alex Tuch unsure about Buffalo Sabres future ahead of Free Agency
Watch the NHL Playoffs on DAZN for £24.99
The Buffalo Sabres have a major decision to make. After a strong season in which the team not only made the playoffs for the first time in 15 years but also won a first-round series for the first time in 19 years, there’s a major question surrounding the offseason: What happens with Alex Tuch?
The 30-year-old forward is heading towards unrestricted free agency this summer after spending the last four-and-a-half seasons with the Sabres. He’s looking for a new contract that, according to reports, is upwards of $10.5 to $11 million per season.
Despite saying publicly over the last year that his goal is to remain in Buffalo, Tuch will be the top free agent available come July 1. He says that general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen once again expressed his desire to have him stay with the team during his exit meeting. Tuch said that he’s “loved” his time with Buffalo when asked about what he wants, but it’s a decision he will have to take the time to think on.
“I’m going to do whatever is best for myself and my family,” he said. “That’s all that’s in my power and consideration…my main priority is my family and where we’ll be, where my kids will grow up, and who we surround my kids with.”
- NHL Coaching Changes | Vancouver Fires Adam Foote After One Season
When asked about envisioning a situation where he leaves in free agency, Tuch said he didn’t really know, pointing to the fact that it had been less than 48 hours since Buffalo’s season came to an end in overtime of Game 7 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals series against the Montreal Canadiens.
He said that he wishes he could predict the future, but he didn’t know how the talks between his agent and the team would unfold. He also seems to know he’s going to have plenty of suitors should he hit the open market.
“There's endless amount of possibilities and options for a guy going to free agency, and you don't really know,” he said. “You don't really know anything until everything is laid out in front of you. I'm going to take some time in the next few weeks and really figure it out and see how it goes.”
Tuch isn’t the only one who has to figure things out. The Sabres are in a situation with the salary cap—partially thanks to the upcoming $6.444 million cap hit on the Jeff Skinner buyout—where they’ll have to make tough decisions this offseason. One of them could be seeing Tuch walk to give a player like Zach Benson, an RFA, a fair contract, or keeping other players like Bowen Byrum in the fold.
With his first offseason as general manager truly beginning, Kekäläinen will have to decide just how much Tuch means to the team and if he's worth making him the highest-paid forward in the locker room.
