Alex Tuch 'very excited to come to Buffalo,' ready to help Sabres build a winner

Wearing a royal team-issued hooded sweatshirt and baseball cap, Tuch beamed while describing the whirlwind experience of learning that he was traded from the Stanley Cup-contending Vegas Golden Knights to the team he adored as a child.

Tuch, a 25-year-old who described himself as a "big, fast, strong power forward who plays a pretty diverse role in the lineup," recited the Sabres he admired as a child growing up in Baldwinsville, a suburb of Syracuse,

There was Tim Connolly, who lived next to Tuch. His list also included Daniel Briere, Jochen Hecht, Andrew Peters, Patrick Kaleta, Matt Ellis, Maxim Afinogenov. Tuch even mentioned the Brian Campbell signature spin-o-rama.

This franchise's storied history isn't what brought Tuch to Buffalo after playing 249 of his 255 NHL games in Vegas. It's the future, particularly General Manager Kevyn Adams' vision for how Tuch will help the Sabres evolve into a winner.

"Honestly, anywhere you are, when you’re there for I’d say probably longer than a season you meet a lot of good people," said Tuch, who spent four-plus seasons with the Golden Knights. "Especially in Vegas, I have a lot of lifetime friends there and it was a lot of mixed emotions. So, it was really tough saying goodbye to those guys.

“But, like I said, I am very excited to come to Buffalo. Born and raised in Syracuse, New York, which is right down the road, right down route 90 there. So, it will be a lot of fun to come and put on the Sabres jersey down the road here.”

The news reached Tuch in the form of a text message Thursday morning. Vegas General Manager Kelly McCrimmon asked Tuch to give him a call. McCrimmon told the winger he had been traded to Buffalo as part of the deal that brought injured center Jack Eichel to the Golden Knights.

Tuch played 66 playoff games in four seasons with Vegas, totaling 33 points and helping the club reach the Cup final during its expansion season in 2017-18. In four full seasons, Tuch had 61 goals and 139 points. He's revered as what many call a heart-and-soul type of player, willing to skate into traffic on the offensive end to try to score goals and able to use his speed to disrupt plays defensively. His former teammates, including Shea Theodore, took to social media to bid him farewell following the trade.

Tuch, though, won't be able to help the Sabres immediately. He's four months into his recovery from shoulder surgery. The injury is expected to keep him out of the lineup until January, but this seismic, franchise-altering trade wasn't made for the short term.

Tuch is under contract through 2025-26, a timeline that fits Adams' plan to build the Sabres into a playoff contender. The two chatted following the trade, a conversation Tuch said lasted between 20 and 30 minutes. He couldn't remember all the details given the stunning development, but they plan to sit down again so Tuch can learn more about his role.

"It was an honor to be traded for a guy like Jack Eichel," Tuch said. "He’s an outstanding player and it wasn’t one-for-one, but to be a part of that trade, just to have someone that wants you in their organization means a lot. So, it was a big-time trade.

"Kevyn and I are probably going to sit down and get to know each other a little bit better. I want to understand where I fit into the puzzle. I’d like to be as big a part of this organization as possible. Just come in, work hard and be positive and try to be a really good teammate."

When Tuch is cleared to return, he'll slot into the top six, providing one of the Sabres' young centers with a reliable power forward. He had a career-high 20 goals in 2018-19 and 18 during the abbreviated 2020-21 season.

When evaluating trade offers for Eichel, Adams had to consider how a player would react to coming to Buffalo. The Sabres are prioritizing people who want to be part of the solution and embrace the challenge of snapping a 10-year playoff drought, which is tied for the longest in NHL history.

The Golden Knights weren't a proven winner when Tuch arrived in 2017. He was part of Vegas' unprecedented rise from expansion team to consistent contender, averaging 15:56 of ice time during his time there. In 2017-18, not much ws expected from the Golden Knights. Their only star player was goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and the roster lacked proven scorers. Vegas lost the Stanley Cup to the Washington Capitals in five games, but Tuch had six goals and 10 points during that playoff run.

His heroics were similar to those he watched from his hometown team as a child.

The Sabres' team colors have changed since Tuch sat in the stands at HSBC Arena with his father, Carl. The temperature of the fan base has also changed drastically. There's overwhelming frustration that Buffalo hasn't experienced much success since the club's consecutive trips to the Eastern Conference finals in 2006 and 2007. But Tuch knows better than anyone in the Sabres' dressing room what happens when the city is buzzing about its beloved hockey team.

"Those teams that went far," recalled Tuch. "You know what, you saw what the city did behind them. It was Buffalo, it was everyone around Buffalo. They love their sports here and they love their Buffalo Sabres. I’m really excited to play for a fanbase like this. I mean, I was very thankful to play in Vegas where they really embraced us, the entire city embraced us. But coming to Buffalo, it’s gonna be like none other.”