Sabres' Tage Thompson Wants Buffalo to Re-Sign Alex Tuch

The Buffalo Sabres are heading home and now some serious roster decisions loom over the franchise. Alex Tuch is a pending unrestricted free agent and could be one of the biggest fish on the market. There's no doubt there's going to be a bidding war for his services, but if it was up to teammate Tage Thompson, the team wouldn't think twice inking Tuch to a long-term extension.

“I can tell you that I’d love to have him back,” Thompson said. “He’s an ultimate teammate. He’s a leader on this team. He drives the bus for us. Guys in this room look to him. He’s vocal. He plays the game the right way. He’s a big, big reason we were where we were.”

Tuch had a huge season for the Sabres and was a big part of the reasons why they exceeded expectations and made some noise during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The 30-year-old Tuch had a tough postseason, failing to record a point in the second round against the Montreal Canadiens, however, during the regular season Tuch was one of the Sabres most consistent forwards.

Tuch scored 33 goals and 66 points in 79 games this season and marking the third time over the past four years he's reached the 30-goal mark. During Buffalo's first-round series against the Boston Bruins, Tuch was lights out, posting four goals and seven points.

Tuch earned just $4.75 million AAV on his last deal and will be looking for a hefty raise. The Sabres have just $12.9 million in cap space this summer, so if they manage to get Tuch inked long term, expect to see some cap causalities in Buffalo.

Photo credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images