The Detroit Red Wings are eyeing a Buffalo Sabres forward for a top-6 upgrade

The Buffalo Sabres will be looking to retool the lineup, whether by advertisement or not, with this move. According to rumors, Alex Tuch, one of the Sabres' best forwards, is on the trade block.

Tuch is in the final year of his seven-year, $4.75 million deal with the Sabres, and could be a rental for a contending team, or for a team like the Red Wings, who could use the affordable 60+ point forward to build a playoff-bound roster.

In the last three seasons with the Sabres, he's been one of the team's most productive forwards, scoring 205 points (94-111) could fit into the Red Wings timeline.

While most teams are expected to be on the hunt for overpaid superstars like Jack Eichel and Artemi Panarin in 2026, Tuch may fly under the radar for others.

That's why he'd be a sneaky addition for the Red Wings, who could use high-level talent, like Tuch, who scored 34 goals and 80 points during his first year in Detroit for cheap ($4.75 million AAV).

His production puts him on the level with players such as Zach Hyman, Lucas Raymond, and Alex DeBrincat.

Not to mention that if he were to suit up with the winged wheel, Todd McLellan would have to shuffle the lineup just right to accommodate Tuch, and may push Jonatan Berggren down a line, giving the team some flexibility and much-needed depth.

The former 18th overall pick by the Minnesota Wild wouldn't find success until he arrived in Vegas, and would quickly become a forward the team relied on to deliver offense nightly.

While he wouldn't win a Stanley Cup with the Knights, he proved to be a pivotal part of their early playoff runs before Kelly McCrimmon built another cup-contending team with Jack Eichel.

The Eichel trade would put Tuch on a plane to Buffalo, of whom he was their biggest fan in the early 2000s, and would be an impact player on arrival.

For the Red Wings, he could be that piece if he could build chemistry with Marco Kasper or Dylan Larkin, as we speculate he wouldn't find a home on the third line.

With Tuch and the Sabres negotiations failing to produce a meaningful contract, Yzerman could step in and make a suitable offer to GM Kevyn Adams that would involve one of their top prospects in Carter Mazur, or Jonatan Berggren.