First things first: The Buffalo Sabres aren’t trading anyone coming off the highs of their just completed 10-game winning streak. But… There’s a big piece of internal business that does need to get done by new GM Jarmo Kekalainen, or there could be a big change by the trade deadline.Â
Alex Tuch’s pending unrestricted free agency is still hanging over the team, and while it hasn’t affected them—or him—recently, if the two sides can’t agree on an extension, a trade is certainly in the offing. Tuch is looking for at least Adrian Kempe money ($10.6M x 8 years). Kekalainen has made it a priority to sign Tuch. But…
The trade rumors have been swirling, and insider Pierre LeBrun has suggested in The Athletic that Tuch could actually join his contract comp partner with the Los Angeles Kings, if the Sabres need to trade him. Â
Kekäläinen isn’t afraid to make hard decisions. I can see him trading Tuch if he thinks he can’t sign him. And 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.
Riding a 2-6-2 mark in their last 10 games, the Kings are second-last in the entire NHL in goals per game, at just 2.59. Landing a two-time 36-goal scorer (and an elite two-way forward, to boot) would certainly be a nice fit for them. Â
Bottom line, no matter how the Sabres are doing come the trade deadline, if it becomes clear they will not be able to re-sign their second-leading scorer, they simply cannot afford to let him walk on July 1 for nothing in return.Â
L.A., despite its struggles in the standings and inability to score, are just two points out of a Wild Card spot, and have every intention of being a playoff team.Â
When it comes to Tuch, and a goal-starved suitor like the Kings, “This is an obvious fit for me if the Sabres ever put him on the market,” concludes LeBrun.
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