Latest on Alex Tuch & Sabres Extension Talks Revealed

With each new pending UFA signing an extension, the smile grows larger for Alex Tuch of the Buffalo Sabres. With the extension signed by Nick Schmaltz with the Utah Mammoth this past week, Tuch is all alone as the top star forward available on the UFA market this summer. By a long shot. He can essentially write his own ticket.

But the Western New York-born Tuch, in his heart, wants to stay where he is, especially with the insane heater the Buffalo Sabres have been on for the last few months. They're now first-place in the Atlantic Division by four points, and the city is going bananas over their scorching hot Sabres.

But business is business, and the 29-year-old has a chance to really cash in, so he isn't going to give up his leverage easily.

The good news for Buffalo is that Schmaltz signed for a team-friendly $8M AAV on an eight-year deal, and he is a good comparable for Tuch. Of course, so is Adrian Kempe, who earlier this season signed with the LA Kings for eight years and a $10.63 million AAV.

Tuch had been asking for something along those Kempe lines, per reports. But on the other hand, with Schmaltz off the board, the bad news for Buffalo is that Tuch will be so in demand now as the lone wolf of prime offensive talent available on July 1, he will be able to induce a bidding war, and likely soar higher than $11M.

Tuch & Sabres extension talks haven't been shelved... Yet

Insider Pierre LeBrun has revealed in The Athletic that the two sides are at least still talking, and haven't come to an impasse... Yet.

As for an actual update on the Tuch negotiations, I checked into it on Thursday, and talks have not been shelved yet. There’s still time before the playoffs next month, and the Sabres are still determined to make it work on an extension. We shall see. But at the very least, it’s noteworthy that both sides are still communicating on it and that talks haven’t been shelved yet.

LeBrun also adds a bit more context to the Schmaltz vs. Kempe comps. He points out that Kempe "had the Kings over a barrel" with the impending retirement of Anze Kopitar. "There’s no way they could afford to lose Kempe as well." Hence, his AAV went higher.

On the other hand, Schmaltz really wanted to stay put in Utah, so the Mammoth seemingly had a bit of an upper hand there and got a team-friendly rate.

As for Tuch and the Sabres, we'll have to wait and see how things play out in the playoffs, as the electric atmosphere in Buffalo, if they manage to go on a long run, could make it tough for Tuch to bail on his hometown team.

Tuch has 28 goals and 57 points in 64 games this season, second on the team in goals and third in points. He's about to register his third 30-goal season in the last four years.