Sabers GM Kekalainen anticipates losing veteran Tuch to free agency
BUFFALO, NY — With little progress in talks to re-sign Alex Tuch, Buffalo Sabers normal supervisor Jarmo Kekalainen on Wednesday mentioned he anticipates losing the veteran ahead to free agency subsequent week.
Although negotiations started final summer time, the perimeters stay far aside on phrases, with Kekalainen noting the Sabers are constrained by the wage cap. He additionally famous the factor of danger of signing a 30-year-old participant 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 mentioned. “So I think he’s moving on and getting into free agency, and now we’ve got to look at our options.”
One possibility is a sign-and-trade deal to get one thing in return for a participant the Sabers elected to retain on the commerce deadline in March to spur the workforce’s push in making the playoffs for the primary time in 15 seasons.
Tuch would change into one of the crucial prized free brokers as soon as the NHL’s signing interval opens on July 1. He’s a 10-year veteran who has scored 20 objectives in 4 of his 5 seasons in Buffalo — together with scoring 33 or extra in every of the previous two years.
In Buffalo, he had 139 objectives and 309 factors in 360 video games in filling a top-line function. Overall, he has 200 objectives and 448 factors in 615 NHL video games.
Tuch had an inconsistent postseason. After scoring 4 objectives and three assists in Buffalo’s six-game collection win towards Boston within the first spherical, he was held with some extent in a seven-game loss to Montreal within the second spherical.
The Sabers acquired Tuch and ahead Peyton Krebs in a commerce that despatched former captain Jack Eichel to the Vegas Golden Knights in November 2021. Tuch is from Syracuse, New York, and welcomed the commerce as a result of he grew up rooting for the Sabres.
“He’s a good player but we have a lot of faith in our group,” mentioned Kekalainen, who took over in December after Kevyn Adams was fired. “He is going to be missed but we’ll be fine.”
The Sabers have quite a few promising younger forwards in place to step up, together with Noah Ostlund, Konsta Helenius and Jiri Kulich, who is anticipated to be wholesome after lacking a lot of final season with a blood clot difficulty.
The information on Tuch comes a day after Buffalo misplaced one other key contributor from a workforce that led to the Sabers profitable their first Atlantic Division title and profitable their first playoff spherical since 2007.
The Sabers traded defenseman Bowen Byram and checking line ahead Jordan Greenway to the Chicago Blackhawks. Buffalo acquired Chicago’s No. 4 choose and a second-round choice on this weekend’s draft, together with promising defenseman Louis Crevier.
Kekalainen revealed Byram expressed no real interest in wanting to stay in Buffalo after his present contract expired subsequent summer time.
“He didn’t want to negotiate; he wasn’t going to sign with us. So, that didn’t leave us an option to do anything else,” Kekalainen mentioned.
With the fourth choose, the Sabers are positioned to land a prime prospect in a draft class that is loaded with extremely regarded defensemen in a draft Buffalo is internet hosting. Among the defensive candidates anticipated to be accessible at No. 4 are Carson Carels (WHL Prince George), North Dakota’s Keaton Verhoeff and Latvia’s Alberts Smits.
Kekalainen mentioned he is taking a wait-and-see strategy as to whether or not he’ll take into account buying and selling the choice for a extra NHL-ready asset.
“We’ll gather that information around the league and see what the value is, and if we don’t think it’s as much as making the pick, then we make the pick,” he mentioned.
