Tuch Talks Stall as Sabres Brace for an Ugly Negotiation

The Sabres and Alex Tuch have hit a familiar summer wall, and the mood is starting to turn from businesslike to chilly. One side wants to lock in value, the other wants to know exactly what that number says about the future, and nobody is blinking yet. In a league where patience gets tested one phone call at a time, this kind of stalemate can snowball fast, especially when the money starts getting into uncomfortable territory.