Alex Tuch showing his worth

The Buffalo Sabres are continuing to try to fight for a wild card spot with one month to go. One bright spot in the past few weeks has been right winger Alex Tuch. 

In the last 5 games, he’s had 3 points with 2 goals and 1 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 night against the Lightning, 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 has 40 points on the year with 17 goals and 23 assists. He also has a plus-minus differential of plus 3.

Alex is a strong candidate to replace Kyle Okposo as captain if Okposo is traded before the deadline or moves on in the offseason. When Okposo was out of the lineup earlier this season, Tuch was given a temporary “A”. 

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 5 games should also be a reason why Buffalo should look to him as not only a talent but a leader. 

The Sabres are 4-1 in the past 5 games and have back-to-back games against Tuch's former team Las Vegas today and tomorrow against Winnipeg.