NHL Rumors: Oilers eyeing $33,250,000 star amid Josh Norris injury concerns in Buffalo Sabres, per insider

The Edmonton Oilers are showing interest in Buffalo Sabres forward Alex Tuch. After losing in two straight Stanley Cup Finals, the Oilers want to add more depth. They recently re-signed Connor McDavid at his same $12.5 million salary to keep flexibility. So, they are willing to make moves to help the team.

Tuch is in the last year of his 7-year, $33,250,000 contract, and he is eligible to sign an extension with the Sabres. NHL insider David Pagnotta said on Daily Faceoff Live last Thursday that Tuch still wants to stay in Buffalo.

"He [Tuch] hasn’t closed the door on Buffalo," Tuch said. [27:16 onwards] "He likes it there. It’s his home. He wants to, you know, kind of make this work. But ...If this team doesn’t have him signed by the halfway point of the season, we already know that we’re focusing on 26-27 for them,"

However, Edmonton could target Tuch if he remains unsigned.

"Then I think you start to have discussions out there, and I would imagine the Oilers would be one of them," Pagnotta said. "But I think a lot of teams, a lot of contending teams, as I said, would love to get their hands on a player of his caliber."

Buffalo also has injury problems that could affect their decisions. Head coach Lindy Ruff said center Josh Norris will miss a,

"significant amount of time." via ESPN.

Norris has a history of injuries, like the oblique injury, which hurts Buffalo’s depth at center. Without him, the team may need to rely more on Tuch and other forwards. This could make a trade even harder for Buffalo to consider.

Pierre LeBrun's update on Alex Tuch and the Sabres

According to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, contract talks between Tuch and Buffalo have moved slowly. In late September, LeBrun said that both sides are not close on salary expectations. Tuch’s camp may be looking for a deal worth around $10 million per season.

"What I'm hearing is that the Sabres and Tuch's camp so far aren't in the same ballpark as far as what the landscape will look like in the rising-cap world," LeBrun wrote. "I would imagine Tuch's camp sees a double-digit AAV as realistic in that world."

The Sabres want to keep Tuch, but must also manage their cap space carefully. The situation could become more urgent as the season progresses. But for now, both teams are watching the situation closely.