The Buffalo Sabres ended 2025 on a 10-game winning streak.
Teams around the NHL will still be keeping an eye on the Sabres as the March trade deadline approaches, though. Buffalo could still fall back to its usual struggles, and in that case, talented veteran players could become available for the right deal.
That's the premise presented Friday in a new article by The Athletic's Chris Johnston. He has singled out Sabres forward Alex Tuch as a target for the New York Rangers in a trade.
Tuch is a free agent at the end of the year and is playing this season on a $4.75 million contract.
"At some point in the coming weeks, this is going to come down to business, and Buffalo will have to decide if it can stomach a significant raise in the years ahead while still leaving room for the team to spend in other areas," Johnston writes.
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The Sabres would have to like a returning asset from the Rangers, which could be a tad tougher. But if they don't believe they'll be keeping Tuch, it could still end up making sense to trade him for something rather than lose him in free agency for nothing.
"If the Sabres move on from Tuch, the Rangers look like a sneaky good fit," Johnston writes. "New York is armed with serious cap space this summer, and it doesn’t have a lot of obvious places to deploy it after the most attractive potential UFAs signed extensions with their existing clubs. The Rangers won’t be looking to rebuild and need to make sure they spend that free money wisely."
Tuch is from the Syracuse area, so it's likely been cool for him to play in Buffalo and would also likely be cool for him to play for the Rangers.
It's certainly a premise to keep an eye on as the deadline gets closer.
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