Confirmed Signing with Link: [VGK] Alex Tuch signs extension with Vegas (7 years, $4.75M AAV)

[HanSolo]

Tuch has all the tools to be a star player. What he hasn't put together is the execution. He reminds me of a great deal of Rakell in that sense. It was immediately apparent with Rakell that he was talented enough to be a 50-60 point player but he lacked execution.

With Tuch, I thought in the preseason he had added elements of great playmaking to his game. Unfortunately he's been injured of late so it's tough to gage how much he has progressed over the summer.

In any event, I do think he can put together the execution and this seems like good value.

 

[CupInSIX]

It could be a good or even a great contact, but giving a seven year old deal to a guy who has one season under his belt just seems quite high.

1 season plus a really good (first three rounds) playoffs. Tuch is the Knights' future #1RW.

 

[Alex Jones]

I mean, it's one of those contracts where if it works out you're a genius, if it doesn't...

 

[Seven0two]

He's only had one NHL season, so I don't think it's out of the realm to think it's possible that this contract becomes a bad one.

Actually less than a full season. You're right about that, and perhaps my VGK colored glasses impair my judgement but if the cap continues to rise at a similar rate this deal won't be a huge albatross later in the deal even if he doesn't live up to expectations. Even in the short-term, the team has some cap space to play with even when you consider that William Karlsson and Nate Schmidt will need to be re-signed this off-season. Just happy that they got this one out of the way.

 

[danielpalfredsson]

I remember when these long term deals were exclusively for star players

Teams need to gain a competitive advantage wherever they can. Look at all the Stanley Cup winners since 2012-13, without even doing the work in my head to double check this I can guarantee you that most probably had stars signed to pre 2012 backdiving deals.

Teams can't do that anymore, so to truly be successful they need to take risks and lock down any key players, even secondary guys as long as possible so that their cap hits deflate as the cap goes up.

Especially a team like Vegas, or like TOR when they locked up Rielly. They have excess cap in the short term. Might as well overpay guys now for a discount down the road when the cap will be tighter.

 

[HanSolo]

This is the Tom Wilson contract effect. Players who are potential PF's are harder to get than ever and you will now have to pay a huge premium to retain one. Vegas got 3 UFA years.

Well Tuch is faster than most PF's so he has that going for him as well. Like I said in my above post. He plays the game like a seasoned pro, he just hasn't quite put together the execution just yet. Not every rookie is gonna light the league on fire but that doesn't doom them to a life of being average.

 

[CupInSIX]

I mean, it's one of those contracts where if it works out you're a genius, if it doesn't...

(somewhat) low AAV for Theodore & Tuch means more money to keep Schmidt, re-sign Glass, Brannstrom, Hague...

They needed a few younger guys tied up long term. This might mean that Karlsson doesn't get 7 or 8 years though.

 

[GirardSpinorama]

I mean, it's one of those contracts where if it works out you're a genius, if it doesn't...

If it doesnr, you have a player in his prime for a third liner contract.

 

[danielpalfredsson]

I mean, it's one of those contracts where if it works out you're a genius, if it doesn't...

Buyout cap hit is under 800k if they buy him out young enough. We saw that with Despres on Anaheim and previously Cowen and Hodgson. It's why these long contracts to young players aren't all that risky.

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

My first thought is that this looks pretty bad for the Sharks and Timo Meier.

 

[MMC]

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

He’s good. It’ll be a good deal.

 

[Hivemind]

I'd much rather pay for what a player will do than what he has done in the past, but even I have to say there's a fair bit of risk associated with this deal considering his small NHL resume and that this is a $33M contract.

 

[Menzinger]

Tuch is a good player but these kind of deals are just unnecessary...

 

[PatriceBergeronFan]

Seven years? Yikes.

 

[HuGo Sham]

interesting deal..reminds me of bergevin giving gallagher 6 years @ 3.75 when he hadn't done much at 23

 

[Skip To My Lou]

They seem to love him over there.

I've always been a big fan of Tuch's game, but for Vegas, I would've done a bridge deal in this case. Give him a 2-3 year deal, and see if he outplays that deal. But what's done is done.

I still think Tuch is gonna do well, but it's certainly a risk locking him up for that long.

 

[rynryn]

Sweet payday for Tuch, but really don't mind it from Vegas' standpoint either. should be easily worth that even if they're paying him based on a small sample size.

 

[82Ninety42011]

Wow that's quite the risk for Vegas guy has played what 90 games?? Scored 15 goals and he gets 7 years ????

 

[lwvs84]

Teams need to gain a competitive advantage wherever they can. Look at all the Stanley Cup winners since 2012-13, without even doing the work in my head to double check this I can guarantee you that most probably had stars signed to pre 2012 backdiving deals.

You can probably go farther back then that... most winners from 2008 and on probably had at least 1 cap circumvented/back diving contract (did Washington have one or were they the first in a long time not to?). We're (hopefully) past that, now it'll take smart GM's to identify who to sign long term before they break out (and probably get a little lucky in the process) to start winning. That and smart drafting/signings, to fill out the bottom lines with cheap talent and not rely on expensive UFA contracts.

 

[Crede777]

7 years and an NTC seems like a bit much.

 

[llamateizer]

interesting deal..reminds me of bergevin giving gallagher 6 years @ 3.75 when he hadn't done much at 23

He had 28, 41 and 47 points in 3 seasons
Not the same deal vs 37 pts in a single season

 

[llamateizer]

7 years and an NTC seems like a bit much.

NTC kicks in in 5 years.

 

[DudeWhereIsMakar]

That's a steal of a deal, holy shipwreck!!!

McPhee must be using the taxes trick from Yzerman's book. Because AAV without taxes he earns at the very least 3,182,500 a year.

 

[AveryStar4Eva]

Like the deal. He’s worth it right now and has big potential to do even better. Only 22 years old.