The Buffalo Sabres are rolling-and they just doubled down on their future.
In their first major move under new GM Jarmo Kekalainen, the Sabres locked up winger Josh Doan to a seven-year, $48.65 million extension, carrying a $6.95 million average annual value. It’s a bold commitment to a young forward who’s quickly become part of the club’s emerging core-and it signals that Buffalo isn’t just playing for now. They’re building something sustainable.
Let’s be clear: the Sabres are scorching hot. Heading into Saturday’s matinee against the Islanders, they were riding a 17-3-1 tear over their last 21 games-the best stretch in the NHL over that span.
And while Kekalainen hasn’t been in the GM chair long, he’s inherited a team that’s finally found its stride after years of frustration. That makes every decision from here on out a tightrope walk between keeping the current chemistry intact and planning for the long haul.
Josh Doan’s deal is a clear vote of confidence in the present and the future. But it also adds a layer of complexity to another big decision looming on the horizon: the contract status of Alex Tuch.
Tuch, a key piece of Buffalo’s top six and a fan favorite, is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. And while the Sabres would love to keep him in the fold, there’s a financial puzzle to solve. According to reports, Buffalo isn’t eager to go north of $10 million annually on an extension-understandable, considering other cap commitments are coming.
Here’s the math: Doan, Zach Benson, and Michael Kesselring are all RFAs at season’s end. Add in the rising cost of Jeff Skinner’s buyout, which jumps to $6.44 million next year, and the Sabres are staring at a cap sheet that’s going to need some serious maneuvering. That’s why some insiders believe the team may delay talks with Benson and Kesselring until the offseason, freeing up time and space to focus on Tuch.
But there’s a catch. Tuch’s camp reportedly isn’t budging from their ask-more than $10 million per year on an eight-year deal, similar to the one L.A.'s Adrian Kempe signed earlier this season. That leaves Buffalo with a tough call: meet the price, trade him before the deadline, or let him walk in July for nothing.
That last option doesn’t exactly align with what Kekalainen said during his introductory press conference in December. At the time, he emphasized that he wouldn’t make short-sighted moves just to end the franchise’s 14-year playoff drought. But now that the postseason is within reach-and the Sabres look like a legitimate threat-his calculus may be shifting.
This is the kind of situation that tests a general manager’s philosophy. Do you hold onto a core player like Tuch as your own rental, hoping he helps fuel a deep playoff run, even if there’s a chance he walks? Or do you try to recoup value now, risking a disruption to the team’s momentum?
Kekalainen’s first big swing with the Doan deal shows he’s not afraid to commit to players he believes in. The next move-whatever it is-will tell us even more about how he plans to navigate this delicate balance between chasing wins now and securing Buffalo’s future.
The Sabres are back in the playoff conversation. The decisions they make over the next few weeks will determine whether they’re just visiting-or here to stay.