Bargain Bin: Jiricek, Heinola, Tuch & More (10/17/2025)

In this week’s edition of Bargain Bin, San Jose is eyeing up young defenseman with talent, Lane Hutson gets paid in Montreal, David Jiricek was reassigned to the AHL, what’s the deal with the Buffalo Sabres and Alex Tuch? We also take a look at Fantasy Hockey as the season is a few games underway,

San Jose Eyeing Up Young Defenseman

The San Jose Sharks are reportedly looking at young talent on the blueline, per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.

There’s a plethora of young, talented defensemen that the Sharks can look at, but one has to wonder if the Sharks consider Winnipeg Jets defenseman Ville Heinola. The Jets’ former 20th overall draft selection in 2020 cleared waivers and was reassigned to the Manitoba Moose earlier this month.

Provided opportunity, Heinola could thrive with the Sharks, given he’s a puck-moving defenseman who can easily jump up in the play. His skating is a highly lucrative part of his game, and if the Sharks are interested, Heinola could become a significant part of San Jose’s blueline for years to come with a fresh start.

Lane Hutson Extension

Lane Hutson has just signed a fresh eight-year extension worth $8.85 million annually. Given that I talked about Hutson last week in Bargain Bin and then on Monday during the Inside The Rink podcast, I’m surprised this extension happened as soon as it did.

Montreal followed it up by getting tidy business done with their general manager to build for the future. Hutson, coming off a massive rookie season winning the Calder Trophy and racking up 66 points (6G, 60A) in 82 games, is now locked up for the next eight years in Montreal.

Emily Kaplan reported last week that Hutson was originally willing to take an annual average value less than Dobson’s $9.5 million and that things may have shifted after LaCombe and Hughes signed their deals. Hutson, given that he continues to produce past his dominant rookie season, will easily make his $8.85 million look like a steal.

David Jiricek Reassigned to Iowa Wild

David Jiricek is headed back to an all too familiar situation that he felt he was ready to put behind him. The Minnesota Wild announced that they’ve reassigned defenseman David Jiricek to the American Hockey League’s Iowa Wild.

This comes almost a year after Jiricek was traded to Minnesota for Daemon Hunt, a 2025 first-round pick, a 2026 third and fourth-round pick, and a 2027 second-round pick to get an NHL job.

Jiricek posted two points (1G, 1A) in six NHL games with the Minnesota Wild after his acquisition before finding himself back in the AHL, playing 27 games and posting seven assists in the 2024-25 season.

Given the situation that Minnesota is in with depth and trying to remain competitive, could Jiricek be a player who plays the odd stretch of NHL games and a majority of the season in the AHL?

Alex Tuch & Buffalo

Arguably a significant asset in the Jack Eichel trade, Alex Tuch now finds himself in a situation where he could be moving on from the Sabres, and that would be a mistake. Tuch, 29, is a pending unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2025-26 season and has yet to re-sign in Buffalo.

Buffalo is in a unique situation because it can’t seem to get out of a rut, as it constantly finds itself in the basement of the NHL and dead last in the Atlantic Division. Tuch, who’s from Syracuse, New York, and was excited to play close to home, should’ve been named captain of the Sabres at some point during his ongoing five-year tenure.

Since Buffalo acquired Tuch, he’s been a solid point-per-game player and has regularly contributed to their limited success. Given the trajectory of the Sabres this season, Tuch could end up as a lucrative trade deadline option for a contending team looking for a winger with size and bite.

Fantasy Hockey Tracker

I’ve been playing fantasy hockey on and off for the past nine years, and have been playing consistently for the past three. Most people don’t make too many moves to their roster, but I max out my roster moves as necessary.

The safety net acquisitions are obvious, and they always appear as your top recommended players, and maybe some of my waivers recommendations and insights are the same.

This past week, I made some significant changes as I’m trying to get back to my winning ways and defend my championship in playoffs. I picked up Zack Bolduc off waivers after he had an impressive first two games of the season, and he’s still pouring on points. If he continues this, he could end up being picked up (if available) in your leagues in the blink of an eye.

One move made in my league this week was a simple transaction, dropping Logan Mailloux and picking up Zeev Buium. Buium is expected to play heavy minutes and be a strong contributor throughout the season.

Finally, if you’re thin in net, Carter Hart, purely for the fantasy hockey side of things, could add some extra points if you need starts and wins.

As I dive more into fantasy hockey, you’ll see the moves I make and if I successfully defend my championship.