The trade chatter surrounding Buffalo Sabres forward Alex Tuch has hardly been a secret this season. Speculation has run rampant regarding where the impending UFA could end up by the deadline.
Pundits have linked Tuch to various clubs. Some have made sense, while others seem less plausible than others.
That situation led two notable insiders, Chris Johnston and Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, to float what they believe could be two feasible trade destinations for the Sabres forward.
Let’s start with LeBrun’s idea. Per LeBrun, a good destination for the Sabres’ impending UFA is the LA Kings.
LeBrun backs up his thoughts by stating:
“…I’m going to pick the Kings as the destination. Los Angeles is hanging on in the playoff race in the West despite struggling offensively. Tuch would be an ideal boost on the right side behind first-liner Adrian Kempe. And the Kings have ample cap room.”
LeBrun provides two reasons for this Sabres-Kings trade idea. First, the Kings need scoring. Beyond top-line winger Adrian Kempe, the Kings don’t really have a pure goal-scorer. Considering the LA is still in the thick of the playoff race, Tuch could make a ton of sense for them.
Plus, the Kings have over $11 million in cap space at the moment. That situation could make it much easier to fit Tuch’s full cap hit under the ceiling. That’s something the Sabres will look favorably upon. The last thing Buffalo wants is to retain a bunch of salary on Tuch, even if it’s for one season.
Sabres Could Make Deal with In-State Rival
As for Johnston, he believes another potential fit for Tuch could be the New York Rangers. The Sabres’ in-state rival could greatly benefit from adding Tuch’s goal-scoring ability.
Johnston broke down his idea with the following thought:
“If the Sabres move on from Tuch, the Rangers look like a sneaky good fit. New York is armed with serious cap space this summer, and it doesn’t have a lot of obvious places to deploy it after the most attractive potential UFAs signed extensions with their existing clubs. The Rangers won’t be looking to rebuild and need to make sure they spend that free money wisely.”
Johnston also suggested that a sign-and-trade deal could be a possibility for the Sabres and Rangers.
If that’s the case, the deal could make sense for both sides. The Rangers seem unlikely to keep Artemi Panarin. So, his $11 million-plus cap hit would be more than enough to add Tuch.
Buffalo Reluctant to Trade Tuch Amid Hot Streak
The Sabres’ franchise-record-tying winning streak came to an end on Saturday with a loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Still, Buffalo is red hot. As such, the club may be reluctant to do anything to disrupt that balance.
As Johnson pointed out, Tuch is the Sabres’ second-leading scorer. That situation means moving Tuch now could greatly upset the team’s current balance of power. If the deal goes through, it could come down closer to the trade deadline.
There are still about two months before that happens. So, if a trade doesn’t take place before the Olympic break, the Sabres could act once play resumes in late February.
Sabres Tuch’s Trade Destinations Floated by Insiders