For the early stages of this NHL season, Alex Tuch seemed like he’d be a logical trade away candidate for the Buffalo Sabres when the trade deadline got here.

And then the Sabres forgot how to lose. Now, Tuch is telling reporters that Buffalo isn’t just thinking about ending the league’s longest playoff drought — the Sabres are thinking about the Stanley Cup, Tuch said this week.

So now what?

Tuch’s contract hasn’t changed. He’s on an expiring deal. The Sabres still have to at least somewhat consider the future.

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But could they possibly trade away a veteran, experienced forward who has played for winning teams in his past?

It’s a tough call, to be sure.

“This is the Sabres’ best chance to make the playoffs in 15 years, and while they shouldn’t throw caution to the wind just to secure this one playoff spot, hanging onto Tuch would give them their best opportunity to get there,” wrote Scott Maxwell of Daily Faceoff. “Besides, it’s not like there’s zero chance he stays in Buffalo. He clearly wants to be there, so take the risk of keeping him around.”

This can be argued on the other side, too.

“Buffalo is a very strong team this year and I think they have a real chance to make noise in the playoffs, but I don’t think it’d handcuff them all that much to move Tuch for a longer-term piece,” wrote Mike Gould of Daily Faceoff. “Tuch is a well-regarded veteran, but if you talk to enough Sabres fans, you’ll come away with the strong impression that his reputation surpasses his on-ice impacts.”

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Tuch would almost surely say he doesn’t want to leave. Who would want to at this point? The vibes with the Sabres are on a totally unexpectedly brilliant level at the moment.

Buffalo might reveal a lot about how it views itself with what it ends up doing with Tuch before the trade deadline.

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