Alex Tuch will be an X-Factor for the Buffalo Sabres next season

Going into next season, the Buffalo Sabres are going to be a team to watch. One of the players to keep your eyes on is Alex Tuch.

While it is never easy trading away a franchise player like Jack Eichel, the Sabres have gotten some great value in terms of the assets they got back. The biggest piece they got back was a player named Alex Tuch.

He was born in New York and grew up a Sabres fan and being traded to the team was a dream come true. While he was excited off the ice to join the team, his on ice production has been great to see in his Sabres tenure so far. Going into the 2023-24 season, Tuch is going to be one player to watch for the Sabres, as his play could be critical for the team in taking the next step and making the playoffs.

Tuch has had a very productive two seasons with the Sabres so far. In his first season, after coming off an injury, he scored 12 goals and 38 points in 50 games. A very solid start in his new home.

However, last season was truly a breakout year for him. In 74 games played, he scored 36 goals and 43 assists for 79 points. He would have easily scored 40 goals if he didn’t miss time with injury. After putting up these numbers last season, many are expecting the same or even better from Tuch during the 2023-24 season.

Tuch is projected to start on a line with two of the other top scorers for the Sabres, Jeff Skinner and Tage Thompson. All three of these players had great season last year, with each of them scoring over 35 goals, and Thompson scoring 47 goals.

Alex Tuch is the Buffalo Sabres unquestioned X-Factor for 2023-24

If these three players can stay healthy all season and continue to produce at this level, the Sabres are going to have no problem scoring goals. They were third in the league last season in goals scored, only behind the Edmonton Oilers and Boston Bruins. Tuch is going to be a key member of that top line and his presence is only going to help Skinner and Thompson play their best.

Tuch is also going to be a key forward on the penalty kill. He never truly got full-time penalty killing responsibilities in Vegas, but since coming to the Sabres, he has been getting more and more time when the team is short-handed. His size and speed is a great asset on the penalty-kill as he can rush the puck carrier or can block a shot and clear the zone. His presence on the Sabres’ penalty-kill is crucial going into this season.

When the Sabres acquired Tuch from Vegas, it was truly the start of a culture change in Buffalo. Tuch wanted to be here and his energy spread to the other players and it has even gotten players like Erik Johnson and Connor Clifton to sign in Buffalo because they know the future is bright. Tuch is truly going to be the x-factor for this team, both on and off the ice.

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)