By Mike Harrington

Copyright buffalonews

Let’s put this disclaimer out there right from the top: Buffalo Sabres winger Alex Tuch, one of the unquestioned key cogs of this franchise, is under contract this season at a cap hit of $4.75 million. He’s not an unsigned restricted free agent looking for a new deal like New Jersey’s Luke Hughes or Anaheim’s Mason MacTavish. He’s a veteran player in the last year of his deal who was eligible to sign an extension July 1 and has not yet done so.

Tuch is not alone in the NHL in that respect.

Edmonton’s Connor McDavid, Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov, old friend Jack Eichel of Vegas, Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor, Los Angeles’ Adrian Kempe, Colorado’s Martin Necas, Calgary’s Rasmus Andersson and Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers are big names in the same boat as Tuch.

There is borderline hysteria in Edmonton over no deal with McDavid, and in Minnesota over Kaprizov − who has reportedly turned down an eight-year, $128 million deal that would have set NHL records in value. The rest are moving along in the background, and that’s where Tuch stands.

Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said Wednesday there were “good, productive conversations” going on between the team and Tuch’s agents, Steve and Brian Bartlett of Rochester. Tuch didn’t offer any real characterization, other than to say his reps are the ones handling that situation while he gets ready for the season.

“Everyone in here knows I love Buffalo,” Tuch said. “I love being a Buffalo Sabre, and I would love to be here long term.”

That’s obviously a good thing to hear, a lot more definitive than we got from Tuch during his exit interview in April when he was a lot more guarded about his future and said simply he and his wife had not really broached the subject.

As it turned out, there was probably a reason why that was the case: Tuch revealed his son was born three weeks premature with some lung issues and Tuch thus stayed home from the World Championships. But he was happy to report Wednesday that the baby, all 17 pounds of him, is doing well and is a flat-out “unit.”

Tuch gave us a good laugh there, and he was upbeat through his entire 15-minute session with reporters.

Tage Thompson, who lives across the street from Tuch in the Northtowns, talks to his neighbor regularly but said the contract hasn’t come up much.

“I think that’s kind of something that he’s kept pretty close to his chest,” Thompson said. “I think right now, his focus seems on just being ready for the season and trying to help the team win. I think whatever happens behind the scenes is kind of between him and management.”

What would it mean for teammates to see Tuch get his piece of the pie that already has been spread to Thompson, captain Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Josh Norris and Bowen Byram?

“He’s a guy that loves this group and loves playing for the Sabres. … It would be big,” Thompson said. “Obviously he’s a big piece to this team and someone we lean on very heavily, so I think that would definitely help morale in the room, too.”

It would seem the Sabres should already have opened the vault for Tuch on a seven- or eight-year deal in the range of $8 million to $9 million per season. Maybe they have. Tuch indicated his agents are still gauging the market and the climbing NHL salary cap.

Adams simply has to get this deal done and he knows it. He said Wednesday if he could have got Tuch signed in July or August, he would have.

Tuch doesn’t sound too concerned. He said, “The contract talks are on the backburner. Honestly, in my mind, my priority is to be ready for game one and be the best I can be for game one.”

Tuch is coming off his second 36-goal season in three years and finished 15th in voting for the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward. He said Thursday he’s got a lot more to give. He said he’d like to be a Top 5 Selke guy, which is undoubtedly more realistic if the Sabres are a playoff team.

And this is a huge year for him personally after he was invited to Team USA’s orientation camp for the Olympics. Tuch figures to be a long shot to make the roster but he’s the kind of selfless player the Americans could use in Italy, a guy who can defend and kill penalties while being an offensive threat.

“There’s guys that have Stanley Cup winners, there’s future Hall of Famers in there,” Tuch said of the camp in Michigan. “And you just kind of take little bits and pieces from them and just see how they are and see how they carry themselves. To be part of that group really meant a lot to me, but that’s definitely not the end goal.”

The No. 1 priority, of course, is the playoffs. Tuch got to the Stanley Cup final in Vegas in 2018 but hasn’t sniffed the postseason since he was traded here in 2021. That has to change.

“I’m just really excited,” he said. “Some of the new guys have come in and really impressed me. They fit into a locker room really well right away. I think it’s going to be a really good year. I honestly think that guys who have been here are going to have some career years that are going to be looking to make jumps in their careers and in their game.”