Are Edmonton Oilers poking around potential Alex Tuch trade?
The NHL season has just started, but the trade winds are already starting to blow around the Edmonton Oilers.
Edmonton has a lot of forwards vying for NHL spots right now, especially since the team brought Jack Roslovic into the fold last week. We are at a point with this Oilers roster that a few decent NHL options will be forced to be sent down to the AHL at some point. But that isn’t to say there aren’t any holes in the forward group.
The Oilers may have one of the best collections of centremen in the entire league, but they are noticeably thin when it comes to bona fide top-six scoring wingers. Zach Hyman is their big scoring winger at the moment, with Andrew Mangiapane trending in that direction as well early on.
After that, however, things start to fall off. Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are natural centres, while Roslovic is trying to prove himself. Meanwhile, Ike Howard and Matt Savoie are rookies adjusting to life in the NHL. Vasily Podkolzin and Kasperi Kapanen have gotten some time up in the lineup, but are more suited to bottom-six roles.
So, how can the Oilers improve this area of the roster? Well, trading for Buffalo Sabres sniper Alex Tuch would be one way.
Who is Alex Tuch?
The 29-year-old Tuch has found his scoring touch over the last three seasons, despite playing on a perennial basement-dwelling Sabres team.
Drafted 18th overall by the Minnesota Wild back in 2014, the right-winger initially broke into the league with the Vegas Golden Knights. He played four seasons in Sin City before getting moved to Buffalo as part of the Jack Eichel trade.
In the years leading up to that trade, Tuch had been a decent middle-six winger, averaging just above 30 points. That trend continued into his first season with the Sabres in 2021-22, where he put up 38 points in 50 games. From there, however, he unlocked a new level.
Tuch hit career highs in points (79), goals (36), and assists (43) in the 2022-23 season and hasn’t looked back since. Last year, he put up 36 goals once again and was fourth on the Sabres in scoring with 68 points. Those totals would have had him ranked second on the Oilers in goals ahead of Connor McDavid, and tied for third in points alongside Evan Bouchard.
He is in the last year of a seven-year contract that carries a cap hit of $4.75 million, a relative bargain to what he has brought offensively in the last few seasons.
Why would Buffalo trade Tuch?
It’s well established that Tuch is one of the Sabres’ best players and, at this point, they need every bit of help to end a 14-year playoff drought. So, why would Buffalo even consider moving on from Tuch?
At this point, it may not be their choice to make. The Sabres have had a horrendous start to the season, and it’s starting to take a toll on the team’s top players. Already, there have been murmurs that players like Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin are getting sick of all the losing, and there is a good chance that reverberates throughout the roster.
Tuch is already on an expiring deal, and recent reports indicate that he would like a massive payday after playing at a discount the last couple of seasons. If he wants to leave the Sabres in free agency, what would stop him from asking for a trade to go to a contending team this season?
Are the Oilers interested?
It certainly sounds like Tuch could wind up being a target of the Oilers if he hits the trade market this season, or even in free agency.
Daily Faceoff’s Jeff Marek has been speculating on the idea that Tuch could find himself in Edmonton at some point over the next year or so. On an episode of the Sekeres and Price show last week, Marek made some interesting comments about the situation and insinuated that there has been talk about the Oilers and Tuch.
“By the time American Thanksgiving rolls around, how many players are going to be asking out?” Marek said. “There’s a lot of talk about Tuch around the Edmonton Oilers, that would probably make some sense with their newfound Connor McDavid cap space.”
One game into the season and we're already seeing issues with #LetsGoBuffalo. They are likely to have players available that could help the #Canucks , including several with ties to Vancouver. pic.twitter.com/nlV4b3PCL9
— Sekeres and Price (@sekeresandprice) October 11, 2025
Marek wasn’t the only one connecting the Oilers to Tuch. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta has also insinuated a connection between the Alberta capital and the Sabres sniper.
He made comments on the matter on Daily Faceoff back on October 9.
“He hasn’t closed the door on Buffalo; he likes it there, it’s his home,” Pagnotta said. “If this team doesn’t have him signed by the halfway point of the season, then I think you begin to have discussions out there, and I imagine the Oilers would be one of them.
“A lot of contending teams would like to get their hands on a player of his calibre.”
It’s not a sure bet that the Oilers would be a front-runner to land Tuch in a potential trade. There is an issue with the team not having many trade chips to offer up to the Sabres, but it does sound like he would be of interest to the Oilers.