Buffalo Sabres forward Alex Tuch feels like the perfect player to add to the Boston Bruins with the way he plays the game. The UFA at season's end surprisingly didn't reach a contract extension with his hometown team before the postseason, which makes it feel all the more likely that he'll hit free agency on July 1. The Sabres could still sign him in the nick of time before he hits the open market, but both parties are having trouble finding common ground on the asking price.
Adrian Kempe's deal has reportedly been a comparable deal for Tuch's camp. Kempe signed an eight-year, $85 million contract extension this past season that kicks in at the beginning of next season, and Tuch wants as much or more than the Los Angeles Kings' winger. The wingers are the same age, and Kempe recorded just seven more points this season in two extra games. It isn't hard to see why Tuch wants the same deal.
Bruins fans saw what Kempe did to their team in the first round and started having dreams of him signing if he hit free agency. While it was eye-opening to see what he was capable of, there is always the possibility that the two-way winger can go quiet, which we've seen through six games of the second round against the Montreal Canadiens, where he has zero points.
Players like Tuch are ones I like to watch personally, but the heavy two-way forwards are too plentiful on the Bruins' roster for the Sabres' forward to be the big splash they make this offseason. Tuch would be great and another 80-point winger, but he isn't exactly the gamebreaker they need. Paying him over $10 million annually to crash and burn like every other player in the lineup come playoff time would be a hard pill to swallow.
It feels like if he hits the market, the Bruins are going to be all over him. However, the front office would be much better off chasing a point-producing forward like Jason Robertson or a center like Robert Thomas. Adding Tuch would feel like a lateral move for the Bruins, and after their playoff performance, lateral moves aren't anywhere near good enough.
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