Red Wings Eye Sabres' Alex Tuch as Potential Top-Six Upgrade

Yahoo

2 days ago

Red Wings could explore a trade for Sabres winger Alex Tuch, who is reportedly on the trade block.
The 2026 NHL Free Agent class has the potential to be the biggest in league history with some of the biggest names up for grabs. Barring a similar event to this year where all the top players re-sign, we could see a major shake up within the league.
Most hockey fans look to biggest names like Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and Artemi Panarin among others on the block and salivate at the idea of their team nabbing one of the league's best. For Detroit fans, there's a name to look out for in the bunch and could be dealt early on into the season with Buffalo's Alex Tuch.
The 29-year-old Syracuse native is entering the final year of a seven-year deal with a very friendly $4.75 million cap hit per season for a winger that has produced 94 goals with 111 assists for 205 points over the last three seasons. Tuch has been rumored to be on the trade block for some time now and Detroit is looking to add a top six winger.
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His recent numbers have him ahead of names like Lucas Raymond, Alex DeBrincat and Zach Hyman. Detroit bench boss Todd McLellan and the rest of the coaching staff would need to juggle around the lineup as Tuch is a right-hand shot that wouldn't be able to take over the vacant left wing spot on the top line but could slide into the second line centre spot while Marco Kasper moves up to left wing.
Tuch was drafted 18th overall back in the 2014 NHL Draft by the Minnesota Wild. He was later dealt to the Vegas Golden Knights as part of an agreement that they would select Erik Haula during the building of their team in the 2017 expansion draft. He would go on to have four solid years with Vegas, where he would produce 30-50 points and would also contribute in four different playoff runs.
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The Buffalo Sabres, while in the basement of the league at the time, had a rising star that wanted out in Jack Eichel. He would go on to be traded to the Golden Knights with Tuch being one of the focal points of the return package to Buffalo. Tuch was able to return to the NHL team he grew up closest to and was successful throughout his youth in the early 2000s.
During his first full season in Buffalo, he would score 36 goals along with 43 assists for just short of 80 points through 74 games. He would certainly be a difference-making player when put in the right situation and that could be in Detroit. He would get a meaningful role on a rising team with significantly better talent around him and could see top line power play minutes, making his upside close to his career-best year at 80 points.
Tuch and the Sabres were recently involved in contract talks but if things go south, the Red Wings may be able to give Buffalo and offer that'll persuade them to deal him and start fresh with more NHL talent.
This kind of deal would be rare as it would be inter-divisional but if it does happen it'll likely be at the end of the season in free agency or a deal could involved some of Detroit's young talent that are on the verge of making the jump to the NHL in Carter Mazur, Michael Rasmussen or one of their current main roster players like Jonatan Berggren or Elmer Soderblom.
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