Buffalo decided not to trade Alex Tuch before the March deadline, keeping the veteran forward in place for a playoff run the Sabres believe is still alive. Tuch will be a free agent when that run ends, but for now he remains in Buffalo instead of heading somewhere else for a stretch drive elsewhere.
The choice gave the Sabres a chance to keep one of their most useful players on the ice when the stakes were highest. Tuch said these Sabres did not just want to make the playoffs but wanted to actually win the Stanley Cup, a line that fit the reason he was not dealt. Buffalo likely would have moved him if the club had been out of contention, as teams often trade players in the final year of their contracts for future assets. Instead, the Sabres held him so he could help during the postseason run.
Tuch is in the final year of his contract, which makes the offseason the real deadline now. He said he will make a decision then about where he plays next and whether he stays in Buffalo, and he is expected to land a big-money contract somewhere. That choice may be shaped in part by Syracuse, where Tuch is originally from, giving him a local tie that could matter when the season is over.
For the Sabres, the gamble is simple. They are asking one of their pending free agents to help drive a push they hope changes the feel of their season, even if it also means losing him for nothing if no extension follows. For Tuch, the next decision comes after the playoff run, when the noise of the deadline is gone and the market opens on a player who will not stay cheap for long.
