Sabres make Alex Tuch plans clear after brutal ending

Alex Tuch's contract is up, and he's heading for free agency.

For the Buffalo Sabres to keep him, it'll be a costly contract and likely a long-term one, too.

Are they interested?

Tuch told reporters during his exit interview on Wednesday that Buffalo does indeed want him back:

Tuch said Jarmo expressed to him again in his exit meeting that he wants to have him back.

MORE: Sabres' story of this season is about all the chapters along the way

Of course, the price has to be right to get a deal done.

The price may differ from expectation a bit, too, after Tuch's postseason ending. In the seven-game series against the Montreal Canadiens, Tuch didn't record a single point.

He pushed back Wednesday on the idea that he might have been playing with a bad injury:

Alex Tuch said he wasn't playing with any crazy injury. He didn't want to get into specifics but said he just had some nuisances that everyone deals with in the postseason.

Tuch actually was moved around a lot during the season as Lindy Ruff shuffled the forward lines.

Only by season's end had he found what looked to be a stable role on the top line. But by the end of the Montreal series, Tuch had been promoted, because he simply hadn't been good enough.

All of that will factor into contract negotiations. Tuch is maybe the top winger available this offseason when you combine proven production with future expectations, so he'll get paid by someone. The Sabres are expected to at least be in the hunt.

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