- Darren Dreger says Tuch is “likely going to free agency”
- Talks with the Sabres have gone nowhere since last September
- Read below for details and video of Tuch on the stalled negotiations
Alex Tuch’s days in Buffalo might be numbered.
TSN’s Darren Dreger said on Friday’s First Up that contract talks between Tuch and the Sabres have gone nowhere, and the winger is trending toward the open market:
The 30-year-old is three weeks from unrestricted free agency. His seven-year, $33.25 million contract is up, and the $4.75 million cap hit he carried through his prime made him one of the best bargains in hockey.
He posted his third 30-goal season in four years and helped Buffalo to 50 wins. The playoffs were a mixed bag: seven points in the first-round win over Boston, then nothing in seven games as Montreal ended the Sabres’ season in overtime of Game 7.
Money is the sticking point. With the cap jumping to $104 million next season, Tuch’s camp can point to Adrian Kempe’s $10.625 million extension in Los Angeles as the market for top wingers. Buffalo has just under $13 million in space and still owes new deals to Zach Benson, Peyton Krebs, and Michael Kesselring.
Tuch talked about the stop-start negotiations at his locker cleanout last month.
“We had talks with Kevyn Adams and his management staff that didn’t progress to where we wanted it to, so we decided to kind of hold off and go through the season a little more,” Tuch said. “When Jarmo stepped in, we initially had some good talks, and then they kind of stalled out a little bit.”
Watch the full video of his end-of-season press conference:
Losing Tuch would hurt more than most departures. He grew up in Syracuse and called a playoff Game 7 with his hometown team a dream come true. With July 1 three weeks out, the gap between Tuch’s number and Buffalo’s best offer looks as wide as it did in September.
