Insider: Alex Tuch's Extension Price Tag Going To 'Staggering' Levels

The Buffalo Sabres put a nice 8-4 win on the board Wednesday night over the Ottawa Senators, their first triumph of the young season. But that won't put an end to the turmoil surrounding the team just yet.

The latest hot-button topic is the future of star forward and pending UFA Alex Tuch. Contract talks have been put on hold for now, but his price tag continues to soar, to "staggering" levels, as noted by Daily Faceoff's Jeff Marek.

On Marek's The Sheet podcast on Friday, fellow insider David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported on the latest doings around the Western New York native, Tuch, and the Sabres.

They've actually pressed the pause button for the time being and put negotiations on the back burner to concentrate on what's going on with this team. There's a lot of concern in Buffalo.
I've talked to a few teams in the last 24 hours, that think it's not just a $10M AAV for (Tuch) to stay, you're probably looking at north of $11M, and maybe closer to $12M.

Pagnotta reiterates that Tuch would prefer to stay, and has definitely not closed the door to the Sabres, but adds that the player just needs to know the direction the team is going in. He might just be thinking, "If this team isn't going to start trending in the right direction in the very near future, I might as well take my game to July 1 and cash in big-time."

Tuch is playing the final season of a seven-year, $4.75 million AAV, and is coming off another 36-goal season, his second in three years. His dynamic two-way play is another calling card, and he led the NHL in short-handed goals last season with six. He blocks shots and plays both the penalty kill and the power play.

Tuch's next contract could approach a $12M AAV

In the new rising cap environment, Tuch is going to get paid one way or another. Pagnotta adds that there's a 'Sabres Tax' for players, to put up with the constant losing and rebuilding.

The insider concludes by suggesting that if Buffalo is still floundering in last place by around the new year, and Tuch is still not signed, they might have to have a "heart-to-heart", and consider exploring the trade market.