Sabres Rumors: Tuch Using Recent Signing As Comparable For Next Contract

The Buffalo Sabres are going to have to pay up to keep Alex Tuch around after this season, and a decision should be made prior to the trade deadline. Tuch is a UFA after the 2025-26 season and has turned into a star on the Sabres, deserving of a big contract extension.

Tuch is second on the team in goals and tied for the most points with 21 in 22 games. He is one of the driving forces on offense for the Sabres in a year that sees them out of a playoff spot again.

Elliotte Friedman said, "Alex Tuch has got to be looking at Adrian Kempe's new deal and comparing it to himself."

Kempe and Tuch are very comparable to each other. Both are 29 years old, both are top-2 forwards on their team, can score, and produce a lot of points. Kempe just signed for eight years at $10.63 million AAV after being on a $5.5 million AAV deal. Tuch is making $4.75 million AAV and he is going to get over $10 million AAV on his next deal, especially if the Sabres, who haven't made the playoffs in over a decade, are to convince him to stay when other teams would be willing to pay that.

Tuch hits, blocks shots, and finished 15th in voting for the Selke Trophy last season. He also has 114 goals and 264 points in 303 games as a Buffalo Sabre. In comparison, Kempe has 146 goals and 289 points in 340 games over the past five seasons. It is almost the perfect comparable for Tuch on his next deal and there will have to be some cap maneuvering for the Sabres to get the deal done. They aren't the team with tons of cap space anymore, but they are still a team missing the playoffs.