Truth be told, I don't see a great deal of fit for a trade here if Buffalo wants NHL/NHL-ready players, but I also think it's strange how many Sabres fans consider this guy untouchable (untuchable?) while they have a terrific 23 year old every bit as good as Tuch with longer team control at a solid price publicly on the block in Cozens.
Tuch's deal is up next year. Even if he likes Buffalo a lot, it's hard to picture him staying unless they make some sort of serious strides next season, which just doesn't seem feasible to bet on since Tampa, Toronto, and Florida aren't going anywhere and Ottawa, Montreal, and Detroit are all on the come up.
I also don't see "alienating the fanbase" as a legitimate reason they're going to hang on to Tuch. Buffalo has traded pretty much all of the big name guys who have played for them in the last ten years other than Thompson and Dahlin.
I also don't think the "within the division" thing even applies here. The Sabres didn't think twice about shipping Hall to Boston or Montour and Reinhart to Florida.
I get it, Tuch is an awesome player and a strong voice in the room, but what does that get Buffalo for the next two years? It's not like he's filling the seats on his own now, and it's not like he's leading them to the playoffs. Why wouldn't they get something for him while they can?