Oilers' target top-scoring winger to complete 'Nuclear Option' line
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With the Oilers' season only two games in, news continues to circulate concerning the team's interest in acquiring pending free-agent Alex Tuch from the Buffalo Sabres.
Hockey Insider and NHL Network host David Pagnotta recently reported on the former first-round pick's status with the Sabres.
"Given the circumstances and given where the team is at;" said Pagnotta. "If this team doesn't have him signed and by the halfway point of the season we already know we're focusing on 26-27 for them, then I think you start to have discussions out there and I imagine the Oilers would be one of them."
Pagnotta emphasized that a poor season for Buffalo could accelerate this process even further, and as we know the Sabres have gotten things off to a poor start so far, having lost its first two games.
Yet, the The Fourth Period host Pagnotta isn't the only one hearing these whispers; NHL insider Jeff Marek recently expressed his own belief that the noise around Tuch and the Oilers is growing louder.
"American Thanksgiving rolls around, how many players are gonna be asking out?" asked Marek during an appearance on Sekeres and Price. "Alex Tuch hasn't signed; there's a lot of talk about Tuch around the Oilers."
Edmonton recently signed free agent Jack Roslovic to a one-year deal, so we may not see Stan Bowman pulling the trigger on any new acquisitions just yet; any moves will likely come several months from now as we approach the trade deadline.
That said, it sounds like the team has already been watching the market for top-six wingers, in particular since McDavid's team-friendly contract extension made it possible to sign more players.
Tuch's physical style would compliment the Oilers' skill very well, and he is coming off a great season in which he scored 36G and 31A in 82 games on a bad Buffalo Sabres team last season.
Tuch and the Sabres are reportedly having ongoing talks which have not resulted in an imminent agreement. The situation could become a bigger concern if an extension isn't in place by the NHL trade deadline in March, potentially forcing the Sabres to consider trading Tuch if they don't believe they can re-sign him.
