Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Alex Tuch

Atlantic Notes: Sabres Captain, Minten, Brandsegg-Nygård

at CDT | by 2 Comments

General manager Kevyn Adams and head coach Lindy Ruff appear close to naming a captain for the Buffalo Sabres according to WGR’s Paul Hamilton. The team has not had a captain since trading Kyle Okposo to the Florida Panthers at last year’s trade deadline who held the role since the 2022-23 season.

Hamilton quoted Adams saying, “We’ve talked at length about it and Lindy said that he wants to get to know the guys. He spent a lot of time in the summer whether in person or on the phone, but just being around them and feeling them in practice, and I think we’re on the same page“. Although Adams was non-committal about when the organization may name their next captain all signs indicate it will happen before their first game on October 4th.

The top two candidates will likely be between defenseman Rasmus Dahlin and forward Alex Tuch. Dahlin is the former first-overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft by the Sabres and has isolated himself as one of the best defensemen in the league. Tuch, on the other hand, is not necessarily the most talented player on the roster but holds a very public love for the city of Buffalo having grown up just east of the team in Syracuse, NY.

Other Atlantic notes:

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs received a mild scare today with forward prospect Fraser Minten stepping away from the rest of today’s prospects game against the Montreal Canadiens. He was hit awkwardly into the boards in the second period before exiting from the game but Nick Barden of The Hockey News reports he’s only being held out for precautionary reasons. The former 38th overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft went scoreless in his first few games with the Maple Leafs last season and is expected to spend much of next year with the team’s AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies.
  • On the other side of the border, the Detroit Red Wings are dealing with mild injury news to one of their forward prospects. Max Bultman of The Athletic reports that Michael Brandsegg-Nygård tweaked his groin in yesterday’s matchup against the Dallas Stars and will not play today. There’s no cause for concern for the recent 15th overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft after registering an assist in yesterday’s win. He’s expected to join Detroit in Traverse City on Thursday to begin training camp as the team did not want to force a quick turnaround on their new prospect.

Snapshots: Tuch, Jones, Lehkonen

at CDT | by 3 Comments

Both Mike Harrington and Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News expect Sabres winger Alex Tuch to sign a contract extension immediately upon becoming eligible to do so on July 1, 2025, they said in their latest mailbag. Tuch, a New York native, is entering the final two seasons of a seven-year, $33.25MM extension he signed while with the Golden Knights back in 2018.

“For all of [general manager Kevyn] Adams’ talk about looking for players who want to be Sabres, there is no one who wants to be here more than No. 89,” Harrington wrote. “What kind of message would it send if they don’t go long-term with him? While I expect Rasmus Dahlin to be named the captain at some point, make no mistake that Tuch might be the foremost leader in the dressing room now that Kyle Okposo is gone.”

Tuch, 28, was a first-round pick of the Wild in 2014 but was traded to Vegas for expansion draft considerations in 2017. He developed into a top-nine fixture in Nevada before being included as one of the core pieces in the trade that sent former Buffalo captain Jack Eichel to the Knights in 2021. Since then, he’s been a staple on the Sabres’ top line alongside Tage Thompson. He’s recorded 70 goals, 106 assists and 176 points in 199 games in a Buffalo sweater.

After routinely averaging over 19 minutes per game and recording over a point per game, Tuch will be in line for a significant raise on his $4.75MM cap hit. A long-term deal could easily cost north of $8MM per season for his 0.88 points per game average since arriving in Buffalo.

Here’s more from around the NHL:

  • Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette praised young defenseman Zachary Jones in a profile for NHL.com’s Dan Rosen last week, suggesting the 23-year-old is set for a regular third-pairing role in the Big Apple to begin the season. “Jones got better every single time he played for us,” Laviolette said. “He had to bring that out in himself every time we called his number, and it wasn’t on a consistent basis. When he got the opportunity, he was fantastic.” Jones, a Rangers third-rounder in 2019, has appeared in NHL games in each of the last four years but has been used sparingly, only appearing a career-high 31 times last season.
  • Avalanche winger Artturi Lehkonen appears to be recovering well from offseason shoulder surgery, per Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now. Head coach Jared Bednar said last week that he wasn’t sure if the top-six fixture would be medically cleared for the beginning of the regular season, but video captured by Rawal the past few days shows “encouraging signs that he’ll be good to go when the Avalanche open their season.” However, it’s certain that he won’t be a full participant when training camp opens in a few weeks.

2024 King Clancy Trophy Nominees Announced

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Today, the NHL announced the 32 nominees for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, annually presented to “the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.”

Each team submitted their nominee; they are as follows:

Anaheim Ducks: Cam Fowler
Arizona Coyotes: Nick Bjugstad
Boston Bruins: Linus Ullmark
Buffalo Sabres: Alex Tuch
Calgary Flames: Andrew Mangiapane
Carolina Hurricanes: Jaccob Slavin
Chicago Blackhawks: Connor Murphy
Colorado Avalanche: Cale Makar
Columbus Blue Jackets: Zach Werenski
Dallas Stars: Jake Oettinger
Detroit Red Wings: Dylan Larkin
Edmonton Oilers: Darnell Nurse
Florida Panthers: Aleksander Barkov
Los Angeles Kings: Kevin Fiala
Minnesota Wild: Marc-Andre Fleury
Montreal Canadiens: Nick Suzuki
Nashville Predators: Roman Josi
New Jersey Devils: Jack Hughes
New York Islanders: Anders Lee
New York Rangers: Jacob Trouba
Ottawa Senators: Brady Tkachuk
Philadelphia Flyers: Scott Laughton
Pittsburgh Penguins: Bryan Rust
San Jose Sharks: Luke Kunin
Seattle Kraken: Jaden Schwartz
St. Louis Blues: Brayden Schenn
Tampa Bay Lightning: Nick Paul
Toronto Maple Leafs: Auston Matthews
Vancouver Canucks: Quinn Hughes
Vegas Golden Knights: Jack Eichel
Washington Capitals: Tom Wilson
Winnipeg Jets: Josh Morrissey

Unlike most awards which are voted on by the players or media, the winner of this award is selected by a committee consisting of Commissioner Gary Bettman and former winners of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy and the NHL Foundation Player Award, one that was awarded from 1997-98 through 2016-17.

Last year’s winner was Calgary’s Mikael Backlund.  The winner for this season will be revealed in late June.

Snapshots: Tuch, Jets, Othmann

at CDT | by 5 Comments

Teams are reportedly interested in Buffalo Sabres winger Alex Tuch but the team isn’t eager to trade him, per Elliotte Friedman in the latest 32 Thoughts article. Friedman adds that Buffalo, “values him”. That comes as no surprise, as Tuch has established himself as a pillar of the Sabres offense. He scored a career-high 36 goals and 79 points in 74 games last season, ranked third in scoring on Buffalo’s most productive team since 2006-07. Tuch has been similarly productive this season, again ranked third on the team with 16 goals and 38 points in 49 games. That’s an impressive mark on a low-scoring Buffalo team. What’s more, Tuch carries a modest $4.75MM cap hit through the end of the 2025-26 season.

It’s a lucky contract for the Sabres, who have a top-scorer cost controlled for the foreseeable future. Continued struggles might encourage Buffalo to trade away their older veterans but, even with a focus on the future, it’s hard to think Tuch will be pried away without a serious return coming the other way. Tuch was a focal piece of the trade that sent Jack Eichel to the Vegas Golden Knights, joining Buffalo alongside Peyton Krebs and two draft picks.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Winnipeg Jets chairman Mark Chipman acknowledged that the franchise may not be sustainable, based on current attendance and sale numbers, in an interview with The Athletic’s Chris Johnston. Winnipeg is averaging the lowest attendance of any team in the league, save for the Arizona Coyotes who are operating in an arena that only seats 5,000 fans. Chipman shared that he has been directly calling season ticket holders, trying to identify ways that the Jets can improve for fans, but NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is still slated to visit Winnipeg on Tuesday to assess the team’s situation. Winnipeg had an NHL team from 1979 to 1996, but lost their team to the Phoenix Coyotes after the 1995-96 season. They received a second chance in 2011, when the Atlanta Thrashers relocated to Winnipeg. The Jets will hope to not spoil that opportunity, especially with the list of cities interested in hosting an NHL team growing.
  • The New York Rangers have sent forward Brennan Othmann back to the minor leagues. Othmann was recalled on Thursday and served as a healthy scratch in the team’s win over the New Jersey Devils. Othmann previously played the first three games of his NHL career in early January, going without a point but adding six shots, six hits, and one block. He currently ranks second on the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack in scoring, with 14 goals and 36 points in 44 games.

Sabres Notes: Tuch, Murray, Samuelsson, Greenway

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Sabres forward Alex Tuch will be activated off injured reserve and return to the lineup tonight against the Avalanche, head coach Don Granato said earlier Wednesday. Winger Brett Murray was assigned to AHL Rochester later in the day to create roster space to activate Tuch, per a team release.

Tuch’s return marks the end of a four-game absence due to a lower-body injury sustained on December 3 against the Predators. The Sabres promptly announced Tuch was expected out of the lineup for roughly one week, just long enough to be eligible for IR placement. It’s the winger’s second multi-game absence of the season after an upper-body injury sidelined him for three games in November. Before exiting the lineup, Tuch had two goals and four points in his last five games and has eight goals and 17 points in 22 games on the season.

The move also ends Murray’s first call-up of the 2023-24 season, which lasted just two days. He replaced the younger Isak Rosen in the lineup Monday in the team’s win against the Coyotes, recording a -1 rating and one shot on goal in 10:41 of ice time. The 25-year-old Murray, who stands at 6-foot-5 and nearly 230 pounds, has two goals and seven points in 12 games with AHL Rochester this season.

Elsewhere from around the Sabres today:

  • Also returning to the lineup tonight is defenseman Mattias Samuelsson, per Granato. No corresponding roster move is needed because Sameulsson remained on the active roster while sidelined with an undisclosed injury, which Granato described as general soreness earlier in the week. Samuelsson did not suit up Monday against the Coyotes, his fourth injury-related absence of the season after he missed three games with a lower-body injury in early November. The shutdown blueliner has three points in 25 games this season and is averaging 20:12 per game, nearly two minutes down from last season’s average – although that number is artificially low due to Samuelsson exiting games early with injuries this season on multiple occasions.
  • One player absent from tonight’s contest will be forward Jordan Greenway, missing his sixth straight game with an upper-body injury. He did travel with the team on their road trip, but as Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reports, he’s not expected to play, which would mean also missing games Friday in Vegas and Saturday in Arizona. He remains on injured reserve for the time being and hasn’t played since leaving the team’s December 2 contest against the Hurricanes prematurely. He’s played in two of Buffalo’s last ten games, missing a trio of contests in November for personal reasons. The 26-year-old has seven points in 21 games in his first full season as a Sabre.

Atlantic Notes: Tuch, Samuelsson, McAvoy, Zacha, Lagesson

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Sabres head coach Don Granato informed reporters today that winger Alex Tuch won’t play tonight against the Coyotes as he remains out with a lower-body injury, although he could return for Wednesday’s game against the Avalanche (via Heather Engel of NHL.com). Tuch is on injured reserve and has missed the last three games with the injury, which he sustained on December 3 against the Predators. He is now eligible to come off injured reserve at any time after satisfying the minimum seven-day absence.

Tuch has dealt with two injury-related absences of at least three games this season, the other being an upper-body injury that sidelined him for three games in mid-November. When in the lineup, his production has lagged from last season’s 1.07 points-per-game pace, posting eight goals and 17 points with a -4 rating and 52.7% Corsi share at even strength in 22 games. The Sabres have gone 2-3-1 without Tuch in the lineup and 9-11-2 with him.

Buffalo could be without an additional regular tonight, as Granato also said defenseman Mattias Samuelsson is questionable against the Coyotes after leaving today’s practice early due to soreness. Samuelsson, who is in the first season of a seven-year, $30MM extension, missed three games with a lower-body injury in early November and was a game-time decision with an upper-body injury late last month after leaving a November 25 contest against the Devils prematurely. He’s once again leveraged heavy minutes for the Sabres, averaging over 20 minutes per game for a third consecutive season. He’s recorded a goal and two assists along with a -2 rating in 25 games, and his 49.6% even strength Corsi share is a career-high.

More from around the Atlantic Division:

  • Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy didn’t practice today and remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury, per Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe. McAvoy missed Saturday’s win over the Coyotes after sustaining the injury in Thursday’s game against the Sabres. This is the second time he’s been held out of the lineup this season, the first being a four-game suspension in early November for a check to the head of Panthers defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. While McAvoy’s 0.81 points per game this season are the best of his career, he’s taken a step back defensively, posting a 51% Corsi share at even strength and a -4 rating, both career lows. Ryan also relays word from Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery that center Pavel Zacha remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury, and he, along with McAvoy, is questionable for Wednesday’s contest against his former team, the Devils. New Jersey’s sixth-overall pick in 2015, Zacha was sent to the Bruins in a one-for-one swap for Erik Haula in July 2022 and has since assumed a top-six role, posting 76 points in 108 games over the past two seasons while averaging 16:37 per game. Zacha took just eight shifts in Saturday’s game against the Coyotes before exiting.
  • Maple Leafs defenseman William Lagesson will be a game-time decision tonight against the Islanders due to illness but is likely to play, head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed to reporters (via David Alter of The Hockey News). It’s been a tidy season for Lagesson so far, who’s been a solid injury fill-in for players such as Mark Giordano, Timothy Liljegren and Jake McCabe, who have missed significant time this season on Toronto’s back end. Signed to provide a reliable call-up option with a handful of NHL games under his belt, Lagesson has logged one assist in 14 games this season, recording a -1 rating and 49.4% even-strength Corsi share while averaging 15 minutes per game. Across 74 games with the Maple Leafs, Oilers and Canadiens dating back to the 2019-20 season, the 27-year-old is still looking for his first NHL goal.

Atlantic Notes: Sabres, Monahan, Zacha, Giordano

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

There is some good news and some bad news on the injury front for the Sabres.  Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald notes that wingers Alex Tuch (hamstring) and Jordan Greenway (upper body) could suit up later on in Buffalo’s road trip next week.  Both players landed on injured reserve last weekend.  Tuch has started to get going offensively in recent weeks, collecting 12 points in 13 games since the start of November while Greenway remains quiet at the offensive end with just seven points in 21 games so far in his first full season with Buffalo.

Meanwhile, the news isn’t as good for Zemgus Girgensons.  Hoppe relays that the forward has not progressed in his recovery from his lower-body injury.  Head coach Don Granato indicated the initial expectation was that he’d be out for about another week but it appears the Sabres will be without the long-time checker for at least a little longer than that.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Canadiens center Sean Monahan reached his $15K bonus by playing in his 26th game of the year against Los Angeles on Thursday, relays Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette. That brings his total compensation for the season to an even $2MM.  Monahan opted for this one-year deal last spring, electing to stay in Montreal where he had early success before multiple injuries ended his year.  So far, he has stayed healthy and indicated to Cowan that he’d love to sign a long-term deal to stick with the Canadiens.  If that doesn’t happen, he’ll likely be one of the more prominent rentals to keep an eye closer to the trade deadline, as long as he isn’t injured at the time.
  • The Bruins announced (Twitter link) that center Pavel Zacha suffered an upper-body injury in today’s game against Arizona and did not return. The injury occurred at some point during the first period.  The 26-year-old had 57 points in 82 games last year, his first campaign with the Bruins.  Zacha has produced at a similar clip this season, posting 19 points in 25 contests heading into today’s action.
  • Maple Leafs defenseman Mark Giordano skated before practice today, notes David Alter of The Hockey News (Twitter link). It’s the first time he has skated since suffering a thumb injury late last month.  The 40-year-old is averaging nearly 18 minutes a night so far this season and with Toronto missing some other blueliners, they’ll certainly be looking forward to getting him back.

Sabres Place Alex Tuch, Jordan Greenway On IR

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Sabres announced a handful of roster moves before tonight’s game against the Red Wings, placing winger Alex Tuch and Jordan Greenway on IR. As reported earlier in the day, these moves make room on the 23-man roster to recall goaltender Devon Levi from AHL Rochester. Levi will back up Eric Comrie tonight while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is sidelined with an illness.

Head coach Don Granato told the media Tuesday that both Tuch and Greenway’s injuries are short-term and will keep them out between seven and ten days (via Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald).

Tuch suffered his injury in Saturday’s narrow 2-1 loss to the Predators. He’s had one injury-related absence this season – an upper-body ailment sidelined him for three games in mid-November. This appears to be a lower-body issue that Tuch sustained without contact while backchecking to catch up with Predators winger Filip Forsberg.

Greenway sustained an upper-body injury in the first period of Friday’s game against the Hurricanes and did not return. He missed Saturday’s game against Nashville and has now played in just two out of Buffalo’s last six games, including a three-game absence for personal reasons in late November.

The Sabres, who are now 3-6-1 in their last ten games and are three games below the .500 mark, are in serious trouble. Things won’t get better without the services of two of their better wingers. Tuch is fifth on the team in scoring with eight goals and 17 points in 22 games, while Greenway has been one of their better defensive wingers despite his scoring cooling off from the beginning of the season.

This should afford 2021 first-round pick Isak Rosen a more extended look in the NHL lineup over the next five or so games. The 20-year-old has seen fourth-line duties since being recalled last month and is still looking for his first NHL point. He’s averaged 9:35 and posted a -3 rating in four contests to begin his NHL career.

Injury Notes: Devils, Canadiens, Sabres

at CDT | by 1 Comment

New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff shared that winger Timo Meier will be a game-time decision for the team’s Thursday night matchup, after sustaining an injury in the team’s recent win over the Winnipeg Jets. Ruff also added that Jack Hughes is progressing but isn’t ready for a return just yet.

These are tough updates to a Devils team that’s already suffering because of injuries. Meier is one of three healthy Devils forwards with 10 or more points through the team’s first 14 games. His absence would mark yet another blow to the team’s top six, which is currently missing Hughes and Nico Hischier. The Devils have taken a committee approach to replacing their top two centers, giving Michael McLeod, Dawson Mercer, and Erik Haula more ice time as a result. Haula has been the most productive of the trio, netting five goals and eight points in 13 games, while McLeod has managed six points in 14 games of his own. Mercer is the odd-man-out, with three goals serving as his only scoring this season.

Other injury notes:

Atlantic Notes: Lightning, Bruins, Lucic, Sabres, Jones

at CDT | by 3 Comments

Before their game tomorrow night against the St.Louis Blues, the Tampa Bay Lightning took the ice for practice this morning, with a few notable pieces back on the ice. Lightning beat writer, Chris Krenn, reported that goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy was seen back on the ice for practice, as well as forward Nikita Kucherov, who had missed the team’s last game against the Carolina Hurricanes with an illness.

As he works his way back from injury, Tampa Bay is becoming increasingly desperate to have Vasilevskiy return to the crease. In 15 games started between Jonas Johansson and Matt Tomkins, they have procured a 6-5-4 record with a .897 SV% and a 3.42 GAA combined, becoming an area of their game they haven’t had to worry about in several years.

Aside from returners to the ice, the Lightning also had a missing piece, as defenseman Erik Cernak has officially been listed as day-to-day, but could be expected for tomorrow night’s game against the Blues (X Link). In Saturday’s game against the Hurricanes, Cernak left in the second period after only accruing a little under 10 minutes of ice time and did not return to the matchup.

Other notes:

  • In what has become another infamous ’paper’ transaction in the NHL, after sending down both Ian Mitchell and Oskar Steen yesterday, Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal is reporting that the Boston Bruins have recalled both players today. Of the two, Mitchell has been a much better player in terms of production, scoring two points in seven games played, averaging over 14 and a half minutes of ice time per night.
  • Sticking with the Bruins, the head coach of the team, Jim Montgomery, shared that forward Milan Lucic is recovering much slower than expected from his lower-body injury. After eight years away from Boston, Lucic has not played in a game for the Bruins since their October 21st game against the Los Angeles Kings. In only four games played this season, Lucic has tallied two assists for the organization, averaging just a touch under 12 minutes of ice time per game.
  • After being a surprise scratch in the team’s loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night, Lance Lysowski reported that forward Peyton Krebs was out of the lineup that night due to a family matter, meaning that Krebs should be expected back either tonight or Friday. One player for Buffalo who will indeed not be in the lineup tonight against Boston is Alex Tuch, as Lysowski also reported that the veteran forward is still out with an upper-body injury, but should be expected back against the Winnipeg Jets later this week.
  • In his first call-up to the NHL since his time with the Seattle Kraken last season, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced goaltender Martin Jones will join the team in Sweden in their upcoming matchup against the Detroit Red Wings on Friday as a part of the NHL’s Global Series. Jones will not be counted against the cap nor the team’s 23-man roster, as in Sweden, the team will not have access to an emergency backup goaltender; meaning Jones will ultimately take that role on in the upcoming trip overseas.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top