Alex Tuch showing his worth

While the Buffalo Sabres fell short of a wild-card spot, one positive from the last month of the season has been right winger Alex Tuch. 

Back towards the end of February, he had three points with two goals and one assist. It has led to impressive road wins for Buffalo at Montreal and Tampa Bay. The goal against Montreal was short-handed and broke a 2-2 tie. The other game was against the Lightning, where Tuch tied it after stealing a pass from Brayden Point.

“I saw an opportunity that was going to make Matheson a little uncomfortable there. And I saw it get past him and it just went in,” Tuch said in his post-game comments after the Montreal game.

Tuch was part of the Jack Eichel trade in 2021 and has maintained his skills both on and off the ice. Last season he had a career high in goals, points, and assists. This season, he had 59 points on the year with 22 goals and 27 assists. He also has a plus-minus differential of plus 9.

Alex is a strong candidate to replace Kyle Okposo as captain after Okposo got traded to the Florida Panthers. When Okposo was out of the lineup earlier this season, Tuch was given a temporary “A”. 

Former head coach Don Granato spoke highly of Tuch when he said, “There are lots of guys in the locker room that look up to Alex. That was probably the most important part of it.”

Tuch should be a part of the team’s plans moving forward.  He only has a $4.75 million cap hit over the next two seasons. His performance in the last five games should also be a reason why Buffalo should look to him as not only a talent but a leader. 

Even if he isn't named captain, he should be one of the alternate captains.