The Buffalo Sabres are heading into the 2026-27 season with a different look, and one of the biggest changes is the departure of Alex Tuch in a sign-and-trade deal with the Washington Capitals.
That move, along with the exits of Luke Schenn to the Vancouver Canucks and Josh Dunne to the Capitals, leaves Buffalo with some obvious gaps to patch. Tuch’s absence is the most significant, especially after he was such a central part of the Sabres’ run in the 2025-26 campaign.
Buffalo’s season ended with a first Stanley Cup Playoffs berth in 15 years and an Atlantic Division championship, the kind of finish that restored real energy around the franchise. The Sabres still fell short of the ultimate goal, losing to the Montreal Canadiens in the second round, but the momentum from that push is still very much part of the conversation.
On Wednesday’s edition of Morning Cuppa Hockey, Zach Benson said the loss of Tuch hits on more than one level, even while he made clear how much he supports the move for the veteran forward.
“Obviously, you’re super happy for him. You obviously got paid a lot of money, so I’m super happy for him first of all.
But [Tuch] leaves a hole in the leadership group. I mean, he was such a big piece of that, and he’s a guy that’s been around a long time.
He’s kind of helped bring that Sabre organization back, and he’s a big reason why we were kind of in the postseason. So, definitely a big hole.
But I mean, you look at our other young guys. You got Helenius, Ostlund, Kulich coming back.
So you know, we have a lot of young talent that is ready to kind of explode…those guys can kind of help fill that role, but definitely a big, big hole to fill.”
For Benson, the answer to losing a player like Tuch isn’t replacing him one-for-one. It’s leaning on the next wave of young Sabres to step forward and take on more.
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