Alex Tuch contract talks

[Mr Peabody]

Guessing TP promised KA 5 years and thus he’s here for the year like the rest of us.  If you want to make chicken salad out of this you might say TP keeping his word might attract better replacements?   Buckle up. 

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

He can't clean house without having someone better that is identified and ready to take over.  That will probably be after the season.  

He cannot let Adams make trades of key assets like Tuch, Byram, etc.  Adams is not a capable GM and has to go.  For Terry to think Adams can POHO and Jarmo GM - no to that too.  

This roster does not look like a playoff team but maybe the team can actually compete and win a few games and the season can be about Benson, Kulich, Doan, Helenius, Kesselring, Power, and a TBD goalie all getting better?  That is what they need to happen anyway.  

Game 2 is just hours away.  

 

The bald Finnish guy says 'hi.'

[GASabresIUFAN]

Tuch trade watch has begun.  
 

https://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/nhl_weekend_rumors_tuch_necas_trades_kempe_problem_oilers_goalie_change/s1_16454_42883959

Edited 22 hours ago by GASabresIUFAN

[Pimlach]

21 hours ago, Thorny said:

No when you have the worst GM in the league and that’s non hyperbolic you get better by simply sending him out the door. We aren’t just saying these things.

i don’t care how bad Terry is, Adams is a hugely problematic and destructive entity all his own. Try someone else - was obviously the correct course during the offseason. Anyone else would be preferable. Literally 

 

21 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Nonsense. I could get a one eyed blind dog with rabies, write trade ideas on treats and let him pick at random and it would be better than Kevyn Adams. 

Adams should be fired, today. 

 

20 hours ago, Taro T said:

The bald Finnish guy says 'hi.'

 

I feel you guys a are talking out of anger rather than being strategic and finding the best person.  The anyone can do better comments didn't work replacing Murray or Boterill either.  

If Terry has a replacement in mind right now then fine, fire Adams yesterday.  If he plans on looking around and interviewing people then he has two choices.  One is to wait until he finds that person (which is possibly year end but doesn't have to be), and two is to fire Adams and assign an interim GM from the current staff.  If you do the second, is he letting the interim GM (most likely Jarmo) move players?   That could be a problem for the next guy.  

If he just wants to jump to Jarmo right now he  runs the risk on missing other candidates.  

Terry will not do a thing, at least not for awhile.  

 

Edited 3 hours ago by Pimlach

[Taro T]

22 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

 

 

 

I feel you guys a are talking out of anger rather than being strategic and finding the best person.  The anyone can do better comments didn't work replacing Murray or Boterill either.  

If Terry has a replacement in mind right now then fine, fire Adams yesterday.  If he plans on looking around and interviewing people then he has two choices.  One is to wait until he finds that person (which is possibly year end but doesn't have to be), and two is to fire Adams and assign an interim GM from the current staff.  If you do the second, are he letting the interim GM (most likely Jarmo) move players?   That could be a problem for the next guy.  

If he just wants to jump to Jarmo right now he  runs the risk on missing other candidates.  

Terry will not do a thing, at least not for awhile.  

 

Kekalainen, while having Zito under him, did a fantastic job in C-bus.  Personally expect a significant portion of that was Zito, but Jarmo MIGHT be good in his own right.  You have him in house; if you've been leaning towards making him the next GM while bumping Adams up should things have gone well this year, bump him into Adams role now and find out what you have.

If they bring in an outsider this off-season, Kekalainen is likely gone anyhow, so there really isn't anything lost by making the Jarmo portion of the move now.

And does it matter whether it's Adams moving players or Jarmo moving players if a different guy is brought in after the season?  MHO they're essentially equivalent on that front.  But, like stated already, if you give Jarmo a chance now (or Karmanos for that matter), you have nearly an entire season to see how he operates when the man and you'll get an idea through a trade or 2 ahead of the deadline and then deadline day to find out just what you have in him.

And, no, they won't do a thing now.  But they SHOULD.  (Of course that was true the day they were eliminated last season.)

[Thorny]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

 

 

 

I feel you guys a are talking out of anger rather than being strategic and finding the best person.  The anyone can do better comments didn't work replacing Murray or Boterill either.  

If Terry has a replacement in mind right now then fine, fire Adams yesterday.  If he plans on looking around and interviewing people then he has two choices.  One is to wait until he finds that person (which is possibly year end but doesn't have to be), and two is to fire Adams and assign an interim GM from the current staff.  If you do the second, are he letting the interim GM (most likely Jarmo) move players?   That could be a problem for the next guy.  

If he just wants to jump to Jarmo right now he  runs the risk on missing other candidates.  

Terry will not do a thing, at least not for awhile.  

 

They need to act like there is a standard, now. It’s ok to operate like there’s no standard for another 6 months?

“The line must be drawn here! This far! No further!”

they have ingrained a culture of low expectations, ironic given the mandate upon which “Kevyn Adams” took over.

Draw the line. Fire him. Should someone better become available later, you’ll have a better chance of landing them for having shown you have a standard 

[LGR4GM]

Just now, Thorny said:

They need to act like there is a standard, now. It’s ok to operate like there’s no standard for another 6 months?

“The line must be drawn here! This far! No further!”

they have ingrained a culture of low expectations, ironic given the mandate upon which “Kevyn Adams” took over.

Draw the line. Fire him. Should someone better become available later, you’ll have a better chance of landing them for having shown you have a standard 

Great movie

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, Taro T said:

Kekalainen, while having Zito under him, did a fantastic job in C-bus.  Personally expect a significant portion of that was Zito, but Jarmo MIGHT be good in his own right.  You have him in house; if you've been leaning towards making him the next GM while bumping Adams up should things have gone well this year, bump him into Adams role now and find out what you have.

If they bring in an outsider this off-season, Kekalainen is likely gone anyhow, so there really isn't anything lost by making the Jarmo portion of the move now.

And does it matter whether it's Adams moving players or Jarmo moving players if a different guy is brought in after the season?  MHO they're essentially equivalent on that front.  But, like stated already, if you give Jarmo a chance now (or Karmanos for that matter), you have nearly an entire season to see how he operates when the man and you'll get an idea through a trade or 2 ahead of the deadline and then deadline day to find out just what you have in him.

And, no, they won't do a thing now.  But they SHOULD.  (Of course that was true the day they were eliminated last season.)

Please know that when I play these “what if” scenarios, I and putting myself in Pegulas shoes.  I would never have Adams hired in the first place.  

Firing Adams after one game, after all of his fawning over Adams, and all the votes of confidence,  will make Terry look even worse to the rest of the league.  If that’s even possible.  

He hired Jarmo to help Adams and I believe his intentions is to move Adams up, not out.  I think he will give them time. More time than most fans will like.  

Rather than constantly vent, I prefer to watch and see what this group does and if the core steps up, and if the youth improves.  Come Christmas we will know more, and it’s likely all the gloom and doom is confirmed.  Until then I want to enjoy my favorite hockey team.  

[LGR4GM]

"We've made too many compromises already; too many retreats."

[Goldseatsaud]

Why would Alex sign here. What a waste of a career in Buffalo

[SABRES 0311]

4 hours ago, Thorny said:

“The line must be drawn here! This far! No further!”

[LGR4GM]

[Bangarang]

9 hours ago, Goldseatsaud said:

Why would Alex sign here. What a waste of a career in Buffalo

Because we like to give out bloated long term contracts and there is no accountability for whatever happens on the ice. 

[Ogelthorpe]

On 10/9/2025 at 5:32 PM, nucci said:

Maybe he doesn't want to re-sign here.

That would  be a blessing because he is not a 10 mil+ player.

[Porous Five Hole]

Wawrow’s tweets this morning need to be considered when discussing the Tuch extension. In the Bruins game day thread. This team is missing veteran leadership that hates losing. 

Tuch is a veteran.  Can we say he’s a leader of men à la Josh Allen or he hates losing à la Drury? Not playing ability…leadership characteristics.

Tuch is a good player.  One of the boys and fits in just fine. Good in front of a camera.  

But he’s not what I hoped he would be at lifting a team up and demanding accountability.  He’s just not. And if I’m a GM, I don’t want that type of guy to be my highest paid forward. 
 

I’m not saying he shouldn’t be extended. Just saying this needs to be considered.
Nice dude.  Not currently a part of the solution of needed leadership on this team as a 29 year old veteran. 

[LGR4GM]

9 minutes ago, Porous Five Hole said:

Wawrow’s tweets this morning need to be considered when discussing the Tuch extension. In the Bruins game day thread. This team is missing veteran leadership that hates losing. 

Tuch is a veteran.  Can we say he’s a leader of men à la Josh Allen or he hates losing à la Drury? Not playing ability…leadership characteristics.

Tuch is a good player.  One of the boys and fits in just fine. Good in front of a camera.  

But he’s not what I hoped he would be at lifting a team up and demanding accountability.  He’s just not. And if I’m a GM, I don’t want that type of guy to be my highest paid forward. 
 

I’m not saying he shouldn’t be extended. Just saying this needs to be considered.
Nice dude.  Not currently a part of the solution of needed leadership on this team as a 29 year old veteran. 

This is slowly forming in my mind as well. 

[mjd1001]

36 minutes ago, Ogelthorpe said:

That would  be a blessing because he is not a 10 mil+ player.

Certainly when that extension would start next year and take him through his mid-to-late 30's.

16 minutes ago, Porous Five Hole said:

Wawrow’s tweets this morning need to be considered when discussing the Tuch extension. In the Bruins game day thread. This team is missing veteran leadership that hates losing. 

Tuch is a veteran.  Can we say he’s a leader of men à la Josh Allen or he hates losing à la Drury? Not playing ability…leadership characteristics.

Tuch is a good player.  One of the boys and fits in just fine. Good in front of a camera.  

But he’s not what I hoped he would be at lifting a team up and demanding accountability.  He’s just not. And if I’m a GM, I don’t want that type of guy to be my highest paid forward. 
 

I’m not saying he shouldn’t be extended. Just saying this needs to be considered.
Nice dude.  Not currently a part of the solution of needed leadership on this team as a 29 year old veteran. 

Not extended at $10m per year at 7-8 years.

The deal can't be that big. If he insists on it...then he moves on.

[Pimlach]

42 minutes ago, Porous Five Hole said:

Wawrow’s tweets this morning need to be considered when discussing the Tuch extension. In the Bruins game day thread. This team is missing veteran leadership that hates losing. 

Tuch is a veteran.  Can we say he’s a leader of men à la Josh Allen or he hates losing à la Drury? Not playing ability…leadership characteristics.

Tuch is a good player.  One of the boys and fits in just fine. Good in front of a camera.  

But he’s not what I hoped he would be at lifting a team up and demanding accountability.  He’s just not. And if I’m a GM, I don’t want that type of guy to be my highest paid forward. 
 

I’m not saying he shouldn’t be extended. Just saying this needs to be considered.
Nice dude.  Not currently a part of the solution of needed leadership on this team as a 29 year old veteran. 

Good points.  And if Tuch was still in Vegas, or in Florida or Colorado, he would be a solid contributor, but not a leader or a franchise anchor.  Paying him as such in Buffalo would be another error.   I would like to keep him at the right price as the team is lacking skilled veterans.  

I keep saying that Dahlin, Thompson, and Tuch all have to do the things needed to pull this team out of the funk.   Dahlin is the only one that consistently shows that leadership attitude.  

[PASabreFan]

1 minute ago, Pimlach said:

Good points.  And if Tuch was still in Vegas, or in Florida or Colorado, he would be a solid contributor, but not a leader or a franchise anchor.  Paying him as such in Buffalo would be another error.   I would like to keep him at the right price as the team is lacking skilled veterans.  

I keep saying that Dahlin, Thompson, and Tuch all have to do the things needed to pull this team out of the funk.   Dahlin is the only one that consistently shows that leadership attitude.  

He does? How do you think he handled the lockerroom after the first period? After the game with the coach torching the team? What is he doing today?

I don't know the answers. I guess I might be surprised.

[Pimlach]

Just now, PASabreFan said:

He does? How do you think he handled the lockerroom after the first period? After the game with the coach torching the team? What is he doing today?

I don't know the answers. I guess I might be surprised.

I don't know about the off ice stuff, and you make good points to mention it because it is important.  What did he learn from Okposo?  That is most likely his blueprint for what an NHL captain looks like.    Which gets into how few truly effective veterans our kids have played with.  The Sabres  blew the whole captain thing when they picked Eichel over ROR in my opinion.   

As for Dahlin, I can only go by his on-ice effort and his willingness to play hard.  

[SwampD]

1 hour ago, mjd1001 said:

Certainly when that extension would start next year and take him through his mid-to-late 30's.

Not extended at $10m per year at 7-8 years.

The deal can't be that big. If he insists on it...then he moves on.

Awesome. And we remain the youngest or second youngest team in the league. And the beat goes on.

[Porous Five Hole]

1 hour ago, mjd1001 said:

Certainly when that extension would start next year and take him through his mid-to-late 30's.

Not extended at $10m per year at 7-8 years.

The deal can't be that big. If he insists on it...then he moves on.

I don’t love the term of 7-8, but the dollar values are all skewed from years of a flat cap.  The 2024 cap was $88MM.  2026 cap will be around 107MM. 2027 cap even higher.
 

 So a contract for Tuch in 2024 dollars of 8MM is right about 10MM in 2026 dollars. It is essentially the same percentage of the cap.  
 

For me, it comes down to his trade deadline value.  He will be the most coveted pending UFA given his style of play and current AAV (not to mention the first crack at signing him to an extension). You may be better off spending 10MM on what you could acquire with him than on him.

Just know that he is one of the boys and leadership will need to be acquired to make this contract extension make sense.  

[LGR4GM]

1 minute ago, SwampD said:

Awesome. And we remain the youngest or second youngest team in the league. And the beat goes on.

Really depends on what he gets traded for. Keeping him solely because he's older though is dumb, you're trying to solve a problem while ignoring another one. 

[DarthEbriate]

If Tuch gets into self-preservation mode: drop in blocked shots, not going to scrums, peeling off checks, etc., then you might as well listen to trade offers now, because he won't be helping relative to the minutes he'll be on the ice. There's a ton more value if you can get move to a team willing to extend him and give him 9/10 of an entire season at a bargain price (once their coach finds new ways to re-motivate him), vs. holding him until the trade deadline.

But before listening to offers -- axe Adams and give Jarmo the control of the team. (Because if Tuch doesn't extend pre-trade, and you want to get him back in the fold as a UFA, he's not rejoining a team led by Adams.)

And once you've done that, then you might as well go into complete tank 2.0 to get those top-flight centers again. Dahlin and TNT would fetch the value of at least 7 firsts.

[JP51]

20 hours ago, Pimlach said:

 

 

 

I feel you guys a are talking out of anger rather than being strategic and finding the best person.  The anyone can do better comments didn't work replacing Murray or Boterill either.  

If Terry has a replacement in mind right now then fine, fire Adams yesterday.  If he plans on looking around and interviewing people then he has two choices.  One is to wait until he finds that person (which is possibly year end but doesn't have to be), and two is to fire Adams and assign an interim GM from the current staff.  If you do the second, is he letting the interim GM (most likely Jarmo) move players?   That could be a problem for the next guy.  

If he just wants to jump to Jarmo right now he  runs the risk on missing other candidates.  

Terry will not do a thing, at least not for awhile.  

 

So here is where I am at... he has decided on Jarmo who clearly was not influential in a positive way this off-season who knows if he had any input...  I think TP will be forced to do something... the player exodus will start with stars Dahlin Thompson etc wanting trades... Adams will get fleeced, Sabres will miss the playoffs, Adams will get promoted to POHO because Terry needs his a$$ sniffing sycophant, Jarmo will get moved to GM. Ruff will get fired and the worst PP coach in the history of the league appert will get made head coach. We will be devoid of any real talent, stuck with massive contracts like Norris, Power, Greenway, Muel etc who probably won't even make a half a season without being hurt agaaaain... literally no free agents will even consider entering New York state let alone come here. And if you thought this dysfunction bush league incompetent abyss was bad... you ain't seen nothing yet

Edited 1 hour ago by JP51