Alex Tuch probably received more criticism during the first two weeks of the 2025-26 season than he did over his first four years with the Buffalo Sabres combined. The veteran winger responded with a strong weekend of hockey against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Tuch's play is under more scrutiny because he hasn't signed a contract extension with the Sabres, making him a potential unrestricted free agent in the offseason. Buffalo can't afford to lose him to the open market for nothing, which has also brought trade rumors into the conversation.
The 29-year-old Syracuse native quieted the critics, at least for now, by tallying two points in Friday's 5-3 win over the Leafs and then receiving 17 penalty minutes for coming to the defense of Bowen Byram after a questionable hit by Jake McCabe in Saturday's rematch.
It's exactly the type of response you'd expect from the Sabres' alternate captain, who's been a team-first player since the moment he returned to Western New York.
Let's take a look back at Friday's Buffalo victory for the latest installment of our Sabres player grades series, which has delivered some unexpected results in the early going.
Alex Tuch finished atop the Buffalo Sabres grades for the Oct. 24 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs
Sabres player grades
Player | Grade (1-10) |
|---|---|
Alex Tuch | 9.5 |
Mattias Samuelsson | 9 |
Tage Thompson | 8.5 |
Jiri Kulich | 8 |
Alex Lyon | 8 |
Josh Doan | 7.5 |
Ryan McLeod | 7.5 |
Zach Benson | 7 |
Owen Power | 7 |
Bowen Byram | 6 |
Rasmus Dahlin | 5.5 |
Conor Timmins | 5 |
Tyson Kozak | 5 |
Peyton Krebs | 4.5 |
Beck Malenstyn | 4 |
Zach Metsa | 3 |
Jack Quinn | 3 |
Jason Zucker | 2 |
Noah Ostlund | 1.5 |
Buffalo Player of the Game: Alex Tuch
Mattias Samuelsson may have deserved this distinction for his extraordinarily unexpected two-goal performance, but Tuch's tremendous all-around play couldn't be ignored.
The United States Olympic roster hopeful scored a goal, dished out an assist, blocked four shots and delivered a hit in 19:34 of ice time, including over three minutes killing penalties. Few players in the NHL can match his across-the-board impact when he's playing his best hockey.
Tuch also scored his first shorthanded goal of the campaign after leading the league with six shorties last season. It came late in the third period to put the Sabres up 5-3 after Alex Lyon, who put together another great outing between the pipes, made a point-blank save on Toronto's Matias Maccelli.
"A huge save can turn momentum for you, and Tuch goes down and scores a heck of a goal for us," Buffalo head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters.
If the 2014 first-round pick keeps playing at that level, the critiques about his on-ice play will rapidly fade away, but the trade speculation will persist until an extension is signed.
Sabres quick hits
- Samuelsson may never light the lamp twice in one game again but, as predicted before the season, he's thrived in a smaller role better fitted for his skill set.
- Although it's unclear how long Lyon will be able to maintain this level of play (.922 save percentage in seven starts), the Sabres should ride him as long as he does.
- Tyson Kozak played less than two minutes before suffering a lower-body injury that's cause him to miss at least a week. It's a sizable loss given his strong play in a niche role for Buffalo.
- Noah Ostlund is going to have the occasional clunker as he gets acclimated to the NHL.