Alex Tuch Gets First Shot at Former Team as Capitals Welcome Sabres to D.C.

Alex Tuch won’t have to wait long to face his former team, but Saturday’s matchup against the Buffalo Sabres could still bring back some memories.

The Washington Capitals forward will face Buffalo for the first time since being traded to Washington when the two teams meet at Capital One Arena. His return to Buffalo, where he spent five seasons and became one of the team’s most important players, won’t come until March 18.

Saturday’s game might not carry quite the same emotional weight as that one, but it will be Tuch’s first chance to see his former teammates from the other side of the ice.

The Minnesota Wild selected Tuch 18th overall in the 2014 NHL Draft, but his time with the organization was brief. He appeared in just six NHL games before the Vegas Golden Knights selected him in the 2017 expansion draft as part of a trade agreement with Minnesota that allowed Vegas to take forward Erik Haula.

Tuch spent the next four seasons in Vegas, recording 61 goals and 78 assists in 249 regular-season games. He also made his mark in the playoffs, scoring 19 goals in 66 postseason appearances.

But it was in Buffalo that Tuch really established himself as a top-six forward. Across five seasons with the Sabres, he became a consistent offensive threat, recording at least 30 goals in three campaigns, including each of his last two.

His time in Buffalo ended after a difficult postseason. Tuch went scoreless in the Sabres’ seven-game second-round series against the Montreal Canadiens, who eliminated Buffalo from the playoffs.

That stat stands out, especially given how much Tuch meant to the team. But one difficult series doesn’t erase what he accomplished during his time with the Sabres, nor does it tell the full story of his departure.

Tuch has wasted little time getting comfortable in Washington. He leads the Capitals with five goals through nine games, while his seven points rank second on the team behind Ryan Leonard, who has eight. Leonard is coming off a 45-point rookie campaign last season, and the two have helped give Washington some early offensive momentum.

Despite how things ended in Buffalo, Tuch has no shortage of good memories from his time there.

Speaking with The Athletic’s Matthew Fairburn, Tuch reflected on what the Sabres accomplished and how much the team meant to him, even with the disappointment of falling short of their ultimate goal.

“I don’t know if there will ever be full closure on it, because I always will wish I did more on a certain play or in a certain situation or did something on a day-to-day basis,” Tuch said. “You’re never going to live life without regret. You strive for it. But I just want to say I was so proud of the fact that I was part of the team, and I was so proud of our team for what we accomplished, which seemed impossible at certain times.”

Tuch also believed Buffalo could have made an even deeper run, saying the team would have matched up well against the Carolina Hurricanes in the conference final.

“We were one goal away from the conference final, and I think we would have been an unbelievable matchup for Carolina,” he said. “The way we were playing, the team, the depth we had, we would have been a handful for Carolina, who ended up being the eventual Cup winners.”

He made it clear that, despite his pride in what Buffalo accomplished, he wanted more.

“I wanted to be part of the team that hoisted the Stanley Cup and wanted it more than anything to be in Buffalo last year. I’m really proud of what we did, but I always wanted more. I always wish we did better.”

Buffalo ultimately negotiated a sign-and-trade to send Tuch to Washington, closing the book on a significant chapter in his career. The Sabres now have to move forward without one of their most productive forwards, while also navigating other roster changes, including the departures of Bowen Byram and Jordan Greenway, and trying to find more consistency in net.

The Sabres entered Saturday with a 4-4-2 record through 10 games, tied for last in the Atlantic Division with Montreal.

For Washington, Tuch’s arrival has already provided a boost. His early goal production gives the Capitals another reliable scoring option as they look to make the most of will be the final season of Alex Ovechkin’s storied NHL career.

Saturday offers Tuch his first chance to face the team he spent five years helping build, but it also gives Washington another opportunity to keep its early momentum going. With Tuch already making an impact, the Capitals will be hoping his production continues as they look to make this season count.