ORCHARD PARK – Barely nine months ago, as he began the final season of his contract, Alex Tuch said he would love to make Buffalo his long-term home. On Wednesday, with no chance to keep him, the Sabres traded the winger to Washington Capitals.
What changed since the start of training camp?
“I think that’s a question for him,” general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said hours before the Sabres dealt Tuch. “We wanted to sign him.”
By arranging a sign-and-trade deal – before sending him to Washington, Tuch inked an eight-year, $84 million contract extension – the Sabres acquired a third-round pick in 2027 and the rights to veteran forward David Kampf.
The trade was hardly surprising. As free agency approached – Tuch, 30, could’ve become unrestricted next Wednesday – it appeared sides were far apart.
Early Wednesday afternoon, shortly before the trade, Kekalainen said Tuch’s career with the Sabres was over and he wanted to deal him.
Kekalainen said the Sabres “made it clear to him that we wanted to sign him.”
“He was an important player for us and a good leader – all those things that we talked about very many times,” Kekalainen said at One Bills Drive, where the Sabres are headquartered for this weekend’s NHL Draft. “But sometimes when the players have the power to choose, they choose differently.”
Hours later, the Sabres re-signed winger Zach Benson, who could’ve become a restricted free agent, to a seven-year, $52.5 million contract.
Tuch, who grew up in Baldwinsville cheering for the Sabres, fulfilled a childhood dream by joining Buffalo early in 2021-22 in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights.
He quickly grew into one of the Sabres’ core pieces, scoring 33 goals and 79 points in 74 games in 2022-23. Over his four full seasons, he averaged 32 goals and 68 points.
Kekalainen said re-signing Tuch would’ve carried risk. A max deal like he has with the Capitals means he will be under contract until he was 38. Then there’s the money.
“We’re tight on cap this summer because we have the (Jeff) Skinner buyout coming, $6.5 million against our cap this year, then we get into a lot better situation a year from now,” Kekalainen said. “The AAV comes all eight years.
“So that’s something we needed to consider, OK, if we sign him to a certain number, does this now mean we take two, three, maybe four players off our roster to make it work cap-wise?”
Tuch, one of the NHL’s best two-way forwards, scored 33 goals and 66 points in 79 games last season.
He registered four goals and seven points in six games during the Sabres’ opening-round playoff victory over the Boston Bruins before going pointless in their seven-game loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
When the dressing room opened following the Sabres’ loss in Game 7, Tuch was sitting in his stall, still wearing his No. 89 jersey and pondering things.
He likely knew his Sabres career was over.
How do the Sabres replace Tuch?
They possess the draft capital – dealing defenseman Bowen Byram to the Chicago Blackhawks brought back the fourth and 45th overall picks – to acquire another top-six forward.
Kekalainen said the Sabres “will look at all the options” to possibly find a replacement for Tuch. They could also let some young players on their roster grow into bigger roles.
“Nothing disrespectful to Alex Tuch, he’s been a great player for us, but we have a lot of good players in our lineup,” Kekalainen said. “But if you look at all the players we have that played pretty well this year in the NHL … it looks like I don’t know where we’re going to fit them all.”
Kekalainen mentioned three centers all 22 or younger: Jiri Kulich, who’s expected to return next season after a blood clot sidelined him most of last year, Konsta Helenius and Noah Ostlund.
“We have a very positive problem; we don’t know where to put every player,” Kekalainen said. “So we have a good plan on how to replace Alex Tuch, and we’re going to look at every option, whether it’s free agency or trade.
“But we also have a lot of returning options for the role of getting a little bit more ice time, more responsibility, more offensive time, all those things. So I think we’re in really good shape.”
The 6-foot-2, 198-pound Kampf, 31, can become an unrestricted free agent next week. If the Sabres re-sign him, he offers them depth for the third or fourth line. The Czech has compiled 50 goals and 149 points in 576 career NHL games.
He spent last season with the Vancouver Canucks and Capitals, compiling two goals and six points in 40 games. He began the season in the AHL, playing four games for the Toronto Marlies.