Tuch will have 'big, dumb smile' for first game against Sabres for Capitals

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Alex Tuch anticipates facing his former Buffalo Sabres teammates when they visit the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, MSG-B) will be “a little bit different.” 

It’s also an experience the 30-year-old forward is looking forward to, though.

“I’ve just got a big, dumb smile on my face just thinking about playing against those guys and loving them to death and miss them,” Tuch said Friday. “But really happy where I am right now and it's going to be a really hard-fought battle.” 

Tuch played five seasons for the Sabres, the team he grew up rooting for in Syracuse, New York, and and helped them end their 14-season Stanley Cup Playoff drought last season before their Cup dreams ended with 3-2 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Second Round. 

He was unable to agree with Buffalo on a new contract after last season, so instead of losing Tuch as an unrestricted free agent, the Sabres worked out a sign-and-trade deal with the Capitals that was completed on June 24 after he signed an eight-year, $84 million contract. Buffalo received a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft and the rights to forward David Kampf, an unrestricted free agent who was not re-signed.

Tuch, a three-time 30-goal scorer who was second on Buffalo in goals (33) and third in points (66) in 79 games last season, has provided everything Washington (5-4-0) hoped he would. Asked to shift from his natural right wing to the left side to fill a team need, he leads the Capitals in goals (five), is second in points (seven), plays in all situations and ranks first among their forwards in averaging 18:48 in ice time through nine games.

“I think I've created chemistry with a couple different players and different line combinations,” Tuch said. “I don't think the systems are too much different here, so I've kind of been able to just take it in stride and just play my game and jump right into things. It's a really fun group here, and they've been super welcoming, so I get to come in and be myself and don't have to change anything.”

Washington’s game in Buffalo on March 18 likely will be emotional for Tuch, who called playing for the Sabres “a dream come true,” because of his childhood connection to the team. But he was excited about having his first catch-up with his former teammates and friends at dinner on Friday before trying to defeat them on Saturday. 

“We had a great group of people and a great group of players and I take a lot of pride in being the team that broke that (playoff) streak,” he said. “It just meant the world. Putting on that jersey each and every day, I took great pride in that, and I left it out there every single night. It was a sad day when I knew I wouldn't be continuing to do that, but I've been really excited about this new chapter, and really loving it here.”

Though the Capitals missed the playoffs last season, Tuch saw an intriguing opportunity with them. Washington was one of the NHL’s most aggressive teams during the offseason, adding Tuch, another three-time 30-goal scorer in forward Jordan Kyrou, versatile forward Boone Jenner and stay-at-home defenseman Vincent Desharnais. 

“I see a lot of potential in this group here,” Tuch said. “I think we can achieve great things. But really hungry and for the opportunity I have here, and to try to help this team get back into the playoffs and go for the ultimate goal.”

Tuch has fit well in a Capitals locker room that has a mix of veterans, including forwards Alex Ovechkin, 41, and Tom Wilson, 32, and young players such as forwards Ryan Leonard, 21, and Ilya Protas, 20, and defenseman Cole Hutson, 20. 

“He’s a guy that’s very versatile,” Wilson said. “He's got so many different tools that allow him to be, obviously, a premier player in the League. So I think whoever he plays with, he makes them better. He can do it on his own. He can share the puck. He can score goals. He's good defensively. He's just kind of a well-rounded guy that can be deployed in kind of any situation. Smart, smart player.” 

Tuch, who was acquired by the Sabres in the trade that sent center Jack Eichel to the Vegas Golden Knights on Nov. 4, 2021, expects the spotlight to be on him more Saturday than it was the first time he played against the Golden Knights with the Sabres on Feb. 1, 2022. Though Tuch went to the Stanley Cup Final with the Golden Knights in 2018 (before losing to the Capitals), most of the attention during his return to Vegas was on Eichel, who had requested a trade from the Sabres following a disagreement on how to treat a herniated disk in his neck.

As a veteran, Tuch also had a much stronger connection with most of the players in Buffalo.

“In Vegas, I was treated as a younger guy, and in Buffalo, now moving on or getting traded-slash-moving on as an older guy is a little bit different,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of guys that I've mentored there on Buffalo, and I spent a lot of time with, and we were a really close group. It will be a little bit different.”

There will also be something familiar about it, though.

“I've gone in corners with those guys in practice so many times it's going to feel normal,” he said. “I'm waiting to see who's the first one that's going to give me a little cheap shot. My money's on ‘Benny’ (forward Zach Benson), but, no, it'll be good. It'll feel a little different for sure. … I know everyone's tendencies, but they all know my tendencies, too. So it'll be interesting for sure.”