3 Reasons the Buffalo Sabres Should Move on From Alex Tuch

The Buffalo Sabres are fresh off their best season in a decade and a half. The vibes are high, but this is a critical offseason with several critical players left to sign. One of them, perhaps the best free agent forward on the market, is winger Alex Tuch.

Bringing him back into the fold is obviously a priority, but it isn’t as simple as getting him to sign on the dotted line. Given their cap situation and the direction the team is moving in, it may serve them better to let Tuch walk out the door.

1.) Contract Terms

Perhaps the biggest hindrance to bringing Tuch back is what his next contract will look like. His current contract, paying him $4.75 million per season, has been one of the best in the league. That said, he’s due a massive raise and will be looking for seven or eight years.

Even with the salary cap rising, there are challenges. Jeff Skinner’s buyout hurts the most in the coming season, limiting what the Sabres can do. Is it really the smartest move to give Tuch $10-$11 million per season for seven or eight years?

2.) The Wrong Side of 30

Tuch is 30 years old and seemingly makes self-care a priority. Realistically, he’s got three or four years left of high-level hockey and then age will start to have a noticeable impact. He’s big, strong, and a good skater, so he could adapt his game, but Father Time comes for us all.

Paying a winger $10 million or more a season as they decline is a tough ask. If the Sabres are at the end of a great run with several playoff appearances and more, it might be worth it. That said, we have seen prolonged droughts in Buffalo before, and handcuffing the team with an aging, expensive forward just makes it all the more difficult to contend.

3.) Other Pieces to Sign

If the Sabres were set other than Tuch, giving him a little more might be acceptable. With roughly $12 million in cap space to work with, things are going to be tough.

Zach Benson is priority number one, a culture changer and a clear foundational piece of the franchise. He needs a new, long-term deal. Beck Malenstyn was a fantastic fourth-line tone-setter and is an unrestricted free agent. Peyton Krebs has been a versatile, solid center who did well regardless of where he played and is a restricted free agent. Bowen Byram took a major step forward this season but will be an unrestricted free agent in 2027.

The Sabres have a lot to consider even before Tuch comes into the fold. It may simply come down to there not being enough cap space to add Tuch into the mix this summer.

It’s Time to Move Forward

Alex Tuch has meant a lot to the franchise these last five years. He was a vital part of the turnaround, a clear leader, and one of the game’s best defensive forwards. If they can get him at a reasonable rate, then the Sabres should get him back into the fold. But if he wants to cash in to the fullest, the Sabres need to start planning for the future.