Sabres' Tuch Could Land On The Trade Block

The Buffalo Sabres are going to make some bigger changes this summer to appease their core group of players. There could be any number of players on the team who have voiced frustration about the constant losing and players like JJ Peterka and Bowen Byram seem like they're more likely to be traded at this point.

The Sabres are going to move prospects to get more help, but according to James Mirtle, Buffalo will have to move Alex Tuch if it's clear he won't sign an extension. He was a piece that was brought over from the Vegas Golden Knights in the Jack Eichel deal because he wanted to play in Buffalo.

Whether Tuch is one of the players who has voiced his displeasure with the direction of the Sabres or not, his value is too high to let walk in free agency after next season. Tuch has one year left on his deal at $4.75 million and only has a five-team no trade clause. This wouldn't restrict the Sabres from moving him if they had to as there would be a ton of teams in contention who would want a player with size who can also score for under $5 million without any cap retention.

The Sabres don't appear to be in a situation where free agents necessarily want to come to, even if their young group of players have a lot of potential. They have to prove their organization can advance the team into contention and will likely have to make their big upgrades through trades. That's alright since there are plenty of assets at their disposal, but if the Sabres aren't chasing a playoff spot or in one, Tuch could be the next casualty to set the team back once again.

There has to be a big offseason to convince some of these players that Buffalo is a place that can eventually win. Either that or players like Tuch, who are impact players, will leave or want to leave and the Sabres will be stuck outside of the playoffs for much longer.