Alex Tuch has been a good player since he arrived in the Jack Eichel trade, and his 2024-25 numbers once again drove it home. He’s one of those players on the Sabres who displays strong play in all three zones, and he’s not afraid to get in front of would-be shots on goal or land a body check.
No, he’s not as good as some of those bigger names in the league, but other contending teams would love to have a player of Tuch’s caliber, even if he’s not at the same level as the Tkachuk brothers, to throw out an example. Still, unlike players like JJ Peterka or Tage Thompson, not all, or at least some, hope’s lost when Alex Tuch’s on the ice and the Sabres are in the defensive zone.
Grade: A - Tuch’s a solid scorer and a sound playmaker, but his game is nowhere near one-dimensional. If the Sabres need to get the puck back, Tuch’s hard-nosed style of play in the defensive zone might just make that happen.
Alex Tuch’s 2024-25 season was more successful than his basic productivity
Through 82 games, Tuch ended the season with 36 goals and 67 points. These aren’t all-world numbers, but Tuch didn’t need to carry the Sabres in the offensive zone with so much talent that included Rasmus Dahlin, Jason Zucker, and Ryan McLeod, to name a few.
Tuch led the team in plus-minus with a plus-16 rating, and he led the Sabres with 49 takeaways. Oh, and he led the league in short-handed goals with six. This gives us even more proof that, regardless of where Tuch found himself on the ice, he brought a solid game, even if it was never elite.
Still, he’s that player the Sabres and their fanbase are always grateful to have playing top-line minutes. The Blue and Gold still have a notorious habit of letting things break down defensively, and Tuch’s always been one of those players who’s helped negate that. If his solid, three-zone game continues, look for Tuch to stick around in Buffalo for a while.
What will Alex Tuch’s 2025-26 season look like?
Right now, Tuch’s solidified to all of us who he is as a player. He’s not going to wow you with his points total, but they’re respectable enough to where you can say, “Yes, he’s a top-line player and a good one. Maybe even borderline great.”
He’s not going to score you a montage of highlight-reel goals, even if he’ll put a fair number of them up per season. Instead, Tuch’s play will always be considered sound, steady, and consistent. That’s what you can expect in 2025-26 in this way-too-early prediction.
Supposing Tuch plays another 82 games in a blue and gold sweater, I’m looking for another 65-plus point season, and between 30 and 35 goals. Or 36, if he’d like to emulate what he did this past year.
Look for strong, physical play and good defense. He’ll punish opposing forwards and two-way defenseman if they test his patience, and he’ll do his part to regain and retain puck possession.