The Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres have two different goals on their way to the 2025-26 season, and with that in mind there is a possibility that they can close a deal that both benefits. The Maple Leafs should continue to try to find players to replace Mitchell Marner, who decided Become a member of the Vegas Golden Knights this summer, and Alex Tuch can be a perfect target for them.
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The Sabres have made it clear several times that they would rather keep Tuch, even though they are stuck in a rebuilding, but they can still be open to move it for the right price. The Maple Leafs have the assets to make a deal work, and if they can bring it in, he could turn out to be a valuable playoff assets, considering how strong he is at both ends of the ice.
Even since he was Traded to the Sabres As part of the return for Superster Jack Eichel, he has been a solid two -way player and has only been improved since then. View his analyzes from the time of the deal:
Alex Tuch, traded to Buf, is a fast two-way two-line winger, very good at stealing pucks, winning battles and attacking in transition. #Letsgobuffalo pic.twitter.com/S7MTNCKBLG
– JFresh (@jfresh hockey) November 4, 2021
He has only been improved since then and has become a appreciated property at the Sabres, and becomes one of their few clear places while they keep struggling to find success. Tuch, who is now 29 years old, scored 36 goals and added 31 assists for 67 points via 82 games, which comes to an average of 0.82 points per match. During his career, he scored 167 goals and added 215 assists for 382 points via 536 games, which comes to an average of 0.71 points per match.
Tuch could connect directly to the top-six forward group of the Maple Leafs, and although the Sabres probably want a number of strong assets to come back their way to go from him, his unlimited free agent (UFA) could tempt the status to move him the risk of losing him for nothing.
What would a trade look like?
Tuch has a hit of $ 4,750,000, while the Maple Leafs currently only have $ 1,919,722 in CAP, which means that they should move some money. Moreover, Tuch has a non-Trade list with 5 teams that offers him slight protection and is a choice where it is moved.
With all that in mind, the Maple Leafs could still sort something out. They should move both Calle Jarnkrok and David Kampf to free the amount of money needed to acquire it, but that should not be too difficult to find out. Let’s assume that everything comes out, what does the deal look like?
From a realistic point of view, a trade appears to acquire the Maple Leafs Tuch in exchange for Nicholas Robertson, Topi Niemela, a conditional pick of 2028 and a pick of 2027 fourth round.
This step gives the Sabres two promising young players who can benefit from a change of environment and also give them two concept choices. The condition of the future concept choice would probably have something to do with switching to an earlier pick for the second round as a Tuch next season, no certain number of points reached, or not again signed with the Maple Leafs.
If the Maple Leafs would only do this movement if Tuch comes with an extension, the Sabres could ask for a new mid-round pick to get the deal.
Time will learn whether Tuch is considering moving, or if the Sabes are considering acting next season, closer to the 2026 trade theadline, but if it becomes available, the Maple Leafs must be all over him, and a package like this should be enough to get it done.
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Salary Cap Data thanks to thanks Puckpedia.
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