The Sabres simply can’t trade Alex Tuch right now
The vibes are high for the Buffalo Sabres right now. Who’d have thought we’d be saying that at the start of the 2025-26 NHL season?
After picking up wins against the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning this weekend, the Sabres sit second in the Atlantic Division with 76 points through 60 games, setting themselves up to take a final run at the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Alex Tuch has been a key part of the push. Once pedalled as a potential trade chip ahead of Friday’s NHL Trade Deadline, it’s looking increasingly likely the man with 24 goals and 51 points will be in Northern New York for the rest of the season.
On Monday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, hosts Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton broke down the outlook for Tuch and the Sabres.
Tyler Yaremchuk: It’s been a great run of games for the Buffalo Sabres and another great run of games for Alex Tuch, who scored two goals over the weekend, finding the back of the net in each of Buffalo’s two wins over the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers. Now listen, the Panthers aren’t what they’ve been in years past, but the Tampa Bay Lightning are leading that division, and Buffalo goes and rolls them. It’s three wins in a row for the Sabres, and now all of a sudden, you go to MoneyPuck, and their chances of making the playoffs are all the way up to 88%.
Speaking of percentages, there’s a 0% chance that Alex Tuch is getting traded ahead of this deadline. He’s playing so well, and the vibes are so good in Buffalo. They’re going to be adding here. It’s a matter of how much they add.
Carter Hutton: I think you have to accept the fact that, if it doesn’t work out with Tuch for an extension, he just became your rental. He just becomes the guy who is going to try to help you get into the playoffs, make a little noise, and gain some experience. For a lot of this core, now it’s where they add that’s going to be an interesting thing. I think Jarmo Kekäläinen is going to have a long leash when it comes to this situation, because I think with Pegula and ownership and where this team is at, they’re dying to just put some relevance into this team.
I think there are a lot of guys in that locker room, including Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin, who have been there for a long time, and that’s your leadership group. Like we saw last year with Dylan Larkin in Detroit, how he vocalized not getting the help, I think these guys need it, and I think they’ve earned the right to get a little help here.
You can catch the full Sabres segment and the rest of Monday’s episode of Daily Faceoff Live here…