Next summer’s NHL crop has taken a huge hit in recent months. Connor McDavid, Kirill Kaprizov, Jack Eichel, Kyle Connor, Adrian Kempe and Martin Necas all signed lucrative extensions, depleting what was expected to be a star-studded class.
As a result, many believe the top player still available could be Alex Tuch: a 6-foot-4, 219-pound power forward who is producing nearly a point per game in the prime of his career and capable of instantly transforming a team’s top six.
Although the Buffalo Sabers are red hot – winners of seven straight games – and want to keep Tuch long-term, they don’t appear to be close to a deal as the calendar turns to the new year. As a result, his name continues to circulate in the rumor mill, and a recent article in The Athletic suggested that the Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers and Los Angeles Kings could pursue him as their top trade target in the coming months.
Allan Mitchell wrote about Edmonton:
“Tuch is a big winger with speed who can thrive with elite skills. The Oilers could use him on the top line along with Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman, allowing Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to center the third line. Tuch’s size is ideal for the rigors of playoff hockey, and Edmonton doesn’t have that kind of roster presence right now. A perfect plug-and-play for the Oilers,”
James Mirtle on Florida:
“Big, fast, physical and likes the hard parts of the ice: sounds like a Florida Panther. His reasonable cap would fit nicely in Aleksander Barkov’s LTIR space, and he can help improve a power play that can be difficult at times. The only question is, do they have the future assets to pull it off?”
The 29-year-old Tuch is a UFA awaiting the seventh and final season of the seven-year, $33.25 million extension he signed with the Golden Knights in 2018 before being sent to Buffalo as part of the Jack Eichel blockbuster.
Who is best positioned to land Alex Tuch?
Of the three suitors, Los Angeles could offer Buffalo the strongest package of young players, draft picks and prospects while having the maximum cap space to absorb his full salary and a potential extension.
Edmonton and Florida both have a cap strap and would have to juggle multiple pieces to make a deal work, although the Oilers have an – albeit slight – edge in draft capital (2027 first round) and prospects over the Panthers.
Newly hired GM Jarmo Kekalainen could very well keep Tuch, especially if Buffalo continues its winning ways. That said, if he realizes an extension isn’t likely, a trade becomes a legitimate possibility, and these three contenders will be at the forefront of his lottery.
Next: Oilers made a pitch to go all-in on trade for Kraken Star Forward
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