Fresh off career season, will Alex Tuch sign contract extension with Sabres?

BUFFALO – Over the final 30 games this season, Sabres winger Alex Tuch ranked among the NHL’s elite offensive threats, scoring a whopping 20 goals.

From Feb. 4 until April 17, that gaudy total tied for the most in the league with Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin, the most prolific goal scorer in history.

That’s elite company, for sure.

Tuch, who turns 29 on May 10, showcased remarkable consistency during that torrid stretch, never enduring more than a two-game goal drought.

Remember, he often played alongside Peyton Krebs and Ryan McLeod after coach Lindy Ruff moved top center Tage Thompson to right wing.

Tuch finished with 36 goals, tying his career high he set in 2022-23.

“I wasn’t as consistent as I wanted to be,” he said April 18 as the Sabres held end-of-season meetings in KeyBank Center following their disappointing seventh-place finish in the Atlantic Division. “Going into the second half of the year, I really felt that I did a better job of being a little hungrier, maybe just sprinting a little bit more, just maybe bearing down in certain areas, knowing that … when you’re scoring, confidence gets up a little bit.”

The 6-foot-4, 219-pound Tuch also established himself as the Sabres’ most dynamic defensive presence up front, blocking 113 shots, the highest total recorded by a forward since the NHL began tracking the stat in 2005-06. Since the beginning of 2023-24, the 191 blocks and 131 takeaways he has registered – he utilizes his long reach and hunts pucks perhaps better than anyone – lead all forwards in the league.

His six short-handed goals tied for the league lead with New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck.

Tuch, whose career-high plus-16 rating led the team, will possibly garner some Selke Trophy votes this year as the NHL’s best defensive forward.

He also displayed durability, playing all 82 games for the first time. Only Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram also played every contest.

“Playing 82 games was a big thing for me,” Tuch said.

A strong argument can be made Tuch enjoyed the best season of his eight-year career. Still, in the end, it felt like his previous three in Buffalo.

“Not really reaching the postseason made it pretty similar,” said Tuch, who played 66 playoff games with the Vegas Golden Knights before joining the Sabres. “I think that that’s the end goal. Honestly, the end game is winning the Stanley Cup, it’s not even making the playoffs. You have to make the playoffs to be able to do that, obviously, so that’s a stepping stone.

“But sitting here and knowing you have a long summer ahead just flat-out (stinks). Yeah, there’s no sugarcoating it, it’s a place that none of us want to be.”

The Sabres, of course, want Tuch to remain in Buffalo. He will be entering the final season of the seven-year, $33.25 million contract he signed with the Golden Knights. He becomes eligible to ink an extension July 1.

“He loves Buffalo and wants to be here,” Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said April 19. “So he’s a priority. He’s a guy that we certainly hope to have for a long time.”

Tuch acknowledged he hasn’t given a new deal much thought.

“I was really focused on this year,” he said. “I mean, I had some goals in mind for this year, playing 82 games, and I try to grow as a player each and every day. … When it comes to that, I’m hands off. I let my agent do all that.

“I love it here in Buffalo. I’ve really enjoyed my time here, and I would like to win here in Buffalo. But I haven’t even really talked to my wife about it. Honestly, that’s the first person I’m going to have to talk to.”