Alex Tuch’s first crack at his old team comes quickly.
On Saturday, the Washington Capitals host the Buffalo Sabres at Capital One Arena, giving Tuch his first game against the club he spent five seasons helping anchor. His return trip to Buffalo won’t happen until March 18, so this one is the early reunion - the first look at former teammates from the opposite bench.
Tuch’s path to this moment has taken a few turns. The Minnesota Wild drafted him 18th overall in 2014, but he barely had time to settle in there, appearing in just six NHL games before the Vegas Golden Knights took him in the 2017 expansion draft as part of a trade agreement with Minnesota that allowed Vegas to select forward Erik Haula.
It was in Buffalo that Tuch became a true top-six forward. Over five seasons with the Sabres, he turned into a dependable scoring presence, posting at least 30 goals in three different seasons, including each of his last two.
Even so, his Buffalo exit came after a rough finish. He was held without a point in the Sabres’ seven-game second-round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens, a series that ended Buffalo’s run.
That final note does not wipe away what he meant to the organization. Tuch has already found his footing in Washington, leading the Capitals with five goals through nine games and sitting second on the team with seven points, behind Ryan Leonard’s eight. Leonard, coming off a 45-point rookie season last year, has teamed with Tuch to give Washington a strong early offensive push.
Tuch has also spoken openly about what Buffalo meant to him, even if the ending didn’t deliver the finish he wanted. In an interview with The Athletic’s Matthew Fairburn, he said, “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.”
He also believed Buffalo had more in the tank, saying the group could have gone toe-to-toe with Carolina 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.”
And while he appreciated what the Sabres accomplished, he made clear that he wanted the ultimate prize.
“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 eventually worked out a sign-and-trade to send Tuch to Washington, ending a major chapter in his career. The Sabres now have to keep moving without one of their most productive forwards while also dealing with other roster turnover, including the departures of Bowen Byram and Jordan Greenway, and trying to find more stability in goal.
They come into Saturday at 4-4-2 through 10 games, tied with Montreal for last place in the Atlantic Division.
For Washington, Tuch has already been a welcome addition. His early scoring gives the Capitals another dependable threat as they try to maximize what will be the final season of Alex Ovechkin’s storied NHL career.
So Saturday is more than just another regular-season game. It’s Tuch’s first matchup with the team he helped build, and another chance for Washington to keep rolling with one of its newest contributors already making his mark.
In Other News...
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The response came fast, with Washington shuffling its pairings to cover the gap. Timothy Liljegren has been moved onto Desharnais usual spot with Martin Fehervary, while Dylan McIlrath has been inserted into Liljegrens previous role, leaving the Capitals to see how the reworked defense holds up in the coming weeks. [Read more 🡒]
Ovechkins Slow Start Shouldnt Distract Caps Fans From Whats Ahead
Alex Ovechkins early-season line has been modest enough to raise eyebrows, but it hardly changes the larger picture for Capitals fans. He has built a career on shrugging off slow openings and finding his rhythm as the season settles in, and this years start arrives with the added context of a training camp injury that only underscores how much mileage he has on him now.
For Washington, the more important conversation is not about a rough first stretch, but about how long the captain will keep doing this at all. If this is in fact the final NHL season of a player who has defined consistency, production and star power for so long, the focus shifts quickly from any brief quiet spell to every game that follows, because there may not be many left. [Read more 🡒]
Capitals Suddenly Have A Three-Player Return Race To Watch
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For a team trying to manage its lineup day by day, the next step is less about bold projections and more about watching how each player responds as the ramp-up continues. Sandins recovery remains the longest-term situation, Thompsons status is still fluid, and Sourdif is trying to rebuild his rhythm after the illness interrupted his momentum. The Capitals will keep monitoring all three as they work toward game action, and the order in which they come back could matter just as much as the fact that they are all inching in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]