What will happen with the Buffalo Sabres this offseason?
Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period joined Erika Watcher on NHL Network on Sunday. There he was asked about the Buffalo Sabres cap situation heading into the offseason as they look to re-sign Alex Tuch, Zach Benson, and the rest of their team after a successful season. Could there be player movement from Buffalo again.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Erika Watcher: “Ok, free agency, always such an exciting time. We cannot wait for July 1 to get rolling and keep our eye on that. Let’s keep it in the Atlantic, because what a run it was by the Sabres before eventually bowing out of the playoffs in Game Seven of that second round. Now the focus turns to their UFA and RFA class, with the team in a tight cap situation. So, what are you hearing out of Buffalo and their situation?”
Alex Tuch Negotiations to Start in the Next Two, Three Weeks
Dave Pagnotta: “Yeah, this is going to be tough work for Jarmo Kekäläinen to try to make it all fit, if they can get everybody stuck together. Of course, Alex Tuck needs a new deal. He mentioned that to the media this week, that he’s going to speak with his family and the Sabres and everybody in the next little bit to get a better understanding of where things are at now.
They’ve had an open line of communication throughout the entire season, his agent the Barletts, along with the Sabres, have had a very open line of communication, along with Jarmo when he came in. So this isn’t a scenario where there’s animosity on either side. They just want to find a number that fits for him and fits for the team.
The other key guys that they have there, especially on the RFA side, (Michael) Kesselring and (Zach) Benson. Benson with a great coming out party to a certain extent this season, and in the playoffs. They only have about $13 million in cap space. It’s not going to really fit everybody, so they’re going to have to get creative in how this kind of happens in order to keep everybody along, especially if they get Tuck.
And Tuck is looking at probably $10.5 million to $11 million per season on an AAV, if he’s going to stick around in Buffalo, because that’s likely what he’s going to get on the open market. He’s the top guy at this free agent class. He can command certainly around 11. Probably you get the one year less if he hits the open market, but you’re looking at that number kind of hovering around it. So if Buffalo is in an environment where they’re willing to go into that $10.5 million to $11 million range, I think you’re going to see something happen there.
The Buffalo Sabres Have to Re-sign Alex Tuch
But if they want to hold back, he’s going to certainly have options, and there will be teams that are going to look to fill that void. Again, very shallow free agent pool. He’s at the top of the list. We’ll see what happens there. But not only that, Benson is due for a decent one, and Kesselring, who didn’t play much in the playoffs. Some teams are curious what his future is going to be in Buffalo.
So, we may see a little bit of creativity, a little bit of movement out of the Sabres camp going into July 1.”
NHLRumors.com Note: The Buffalo Sabres need to sign Alex Tuch. He is such a crucial piece to their offensive success. Lindy Ruff is back for two more seasons. However, the Sabres have tough decisions to make. Is the goaltending good enough? Will Michael Kesselring get traded to open up cap space? Will part of their defense corps be different, as they look to extend Tuch and Zach Benson? There isn’t a lot of money to go around. Given the success, Tuch will want to stay, but free agency is tempting given the weak class.
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