Sabres GM says he expects to lose Alex Tuch to free agency - ESPN

BUFFALO, N.Y. — With little progress in talks to re-sign Alex Tuch, Buffalo Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen on Wednesday said he anticipates losing the veteran forward to free agency next week.

Though negotiations began last summer, the sides remain far apart on terms, with Kekalainen noting the Sabres are constrained by the salary cap. He also noted the element of risk of signing a 30-year-old player to a long-term contract.

«I don't think at this point that we've come to any point in our talks that would indicate that he'd want to sign with us,» Kekalainen said. «So I think he's moving on and getting into free agency, and now we've got to look at our options.»

One option is a sign-and-trade deal to get something in return for a player the Sabres elected to retain at the trade deadline in March to spur the team's push in making the playoffs for the first time in 15 seasons.

Tuch would become one of the more prized free agents once the NHL's signing period opens July 1. He's a 10-year veteran who has topped 20 goals in four of his five seasons in Buffalo — including scoring 33 or more in each of the past two years.

In Buffalo, he had 139 goals and 309 points in 360 games in filling a top-line role. Overall, he has 200 goals and 448 points in 615 NHL games.

Tuch had an inconsistent postseason. After scoring four goals and three assists in Buffalo's six-game series win against Boston in the first round, he was held with a point in a seven-game loss to Montreal in the second round.

The Sabres acquired Tuch and forward Peyton Krebs in a trade that sent former captain Jack Eichel to the Vegas Golden Knights in November 2021. Tuch is from Syracuse, New York, and welcomed the trade because he grew up rooting for the