LAS VEGAS – Alex Tuch did his best to describe to his younger Buffalo Sabres teammates the pageantry and electric atmosphere they’ll experience during their first trip to T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday night.
There’s the cloaked actor in a knight costume, a drum corps, the light show unlike any you’ll see in professional sports and the bone-chilling sound of 20,000 fans yelling, “Knight!” during the national anthem.
Injuries depleted the Sabres of their depth, particularly in goal, where coach Don Granato has used six netminders, and rarely have they been able to use a lineup that includes all their top players.
“Oh, it's going to be fun,” an excitable Tuch told The Buffalo News on Monday morning. “And I'm really looking forward to seeing the look on some of our young guys’ faces.”
Yet, even Tuch isn’t sure what to expect from the moment he steps on the ice for the morning skate to his first shift against his former Las Vegas Golden Knights teammates. Beloved by the area’s hockey fans for his heroics on the ice and impact in the community, Tuch is back in his former home for the first time since he was acquired by the Sabres in the trade that sent Jack Eichel to Vegas.
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Tuch, 25 and amid his fifth full NHL season, couldn’t put into words the oddity of waiting for the game. It’s the first time he’s on the visiting team, and the power forward’s arrival comes at a time when he’s established himself as a top-line leader for a young Sabres team that’s learning how to win consistently in the NHL.
Balkin, 16, was playing in a high school hockey game in Connecticut game against Brunswick School when his neck was cut by an opponent’s skate during an on-ice collision. Balkin was rushed to a local hospital, where he died from the injury.
The reception from the fans will be warm. They always have a special way of welcoming back that first wave of Golden Knights who played the role of spoiler during their expansion season by reaching the Stanley Cup Final. Tuch won’t be satisfied with reliving fond memories, though. He wants to beat his former team.
“I'm a little nervous and definitely excited,” Tuch said. “It's going to be some mixed emotions. Tomorrow, pretty much all day. I'm just going to have fun with it. I try to really live in the moment as much as I can and really enjoy every new and unique experience. So yeah, I don't really know exactly what to expect, but it's going to be fun. It's going to be a fun night, no matter what. And I'm really looking forward to playing against them and hopefully getting a win.”
Tuch is in a far different place in his career now than when he first arrived in Vegas as a 21-year-old in the summer of 2017. He had yet to establish himself in the league when the Golden Knights traded for him prior to the expansion draft. A first-round draft choice of Minnesota, Tuch broke into the NHL with the Wild the previous season, receiving a six-game audition that had him craving a full-time role.
The trade was one of many overlooked transactions in Vegas’ first offseason, but Tuch, much like most players involved in that unprecedented success the Golden Knights experienced in 2017-18, proved to be ready for the spotlight.
Tuch had 15 goals and 37 points in 78 games during that first regular season. His best was yet to come. He delivered six goals and 10 points in 20 playoff games in the spring of 2018, showing that he's an impact NHLer with a skill set that’s difficult to find and develop.
Despite 31 shots on net and stellar goaltending from Dustin Tokarski, the Buffalo Sabres lost 4-1 to become the latest victim of the Colorado Avalanche’s 18-game win streak at home.
“It was pretty crazy to think that first of all, hockey in the desert," Tuch joked. “It was a pretty crazy thought that that was even something that was possible, let alone something that I was going to be a part of. So, to see the city of Las Vegas really support us the way that they did was phenomenal to be a part of and I was so thankful and so grateful to be supported by a fan base like Vegas. I just tried to make the most of my time there. And I really enjoyed myself and it was a lot of fun because we were winning, but also the whole atmosphere.”
Five seasons into the grand experiment in Las Vegas, the Golden Knights (26-16-3) are among the league’s model franchises. The behind-the-scenes culture Tuch helped build, even in the role of a young player, lives on. Across four seasons, Tuch totaled 61 goals and 139 points in 249 games. He also had 19 goals and 33 points in 66 playoffs games.
A native of the Syracuse area, and a childhood fan of the Sabres, Tuch was the established NHLer Kevyn Adams wanted in trade talks with the Golden Knights. Not only would Tuch want to be in Buffalo, he’s also under contract through 2025-26. And Adams was confident that Tuch could produce at an even higher level with more ice time. After all, Tuch averaged just 15:56 per game during his time with Vegas. He also arrived with the wisdom culled from his many successful teammates in Vegas, including Marc-Andre Fleury, Mark Stone and Alec Martinez.
“It was a switch going from one of the youngest guys on Vegas to being one of the older guys in Buffalo, and to see a lot of guys that are 19, 20 and 21 years old, it's something that it has been a little bit of a transition for me,” Tuch admitted. “I learned from a lot of different veterans and leaders in the locker room in Vegas. … It's something that I want to continue to help with our younger guys in Buffalo. Hopefully I can lead by example in certain ways and pass on some of the stuff that I've learned in Vegas.”
Since returning from shoulder surgery in December, Tuch has four goals and 12 points in 12 games. He’s averaged 19:39 of ice time, on pace for a career-high, and plays in every situation: penalty kill, top power play and 6-on-5. Even a stint on the Covid-19 protocol list didn’t slow Tuch. His immense responsibility on the ice – he skated 24 minutes during a 4-1 loss at Colorado on Sunday – shows the immediate trust he earned from coach Don Granato.
"Honestly, my first reaction is she'll prove that she will be a GM in the NHL someday as well," said former NU women's hockey coach Margot Page of Émilie Castonguay.
There have been difficult nights for the Sabres since Tuch arrived. It was expected with so many young players in prominent roles. But nights like Sunday, when an undermanned Buffalo team had a gutsy effort against the first-place Avalanche, show Tuch what’s on the horizon. He cherishes the opportunity to observe and aid the growth of the franchise’s young stars.
“To watch and play with guys like (Rasmus Dahlin) and (Peyton Krebs) and (Dylan Cozens) and see them develop and become the superstars that I think they are destined to become is an exciting time,” Tuch said.
Tuch isn’t done yet, either.
“It’s been a lot of fun, and I've been given a really good opportunity here and like with all my other opportunities in the past, I'm really trying to make the most of it,” Tuch said. “With coming back from injury, I've had my ups and downs. I think that there's a lot of people that doubt my abilities and I'm trying to prove them wrong and trying to hopefully one day reach my ceiling.”
