The Columbus Blue Jackets made it official Wednesday, signing forward Luke Tuch to a two-year, two-way contract just a few weeks after picking him up from the Montreal Canadiens. The deal pays Tuch $850,000 at the NHL level in year one and $900,000 in year two, with AHL salaries of $100,000 and $110,000 respectively.
Luke is the younger brother of Washington Capitals forward Alex Tuch, which is probably the name most NHL fans recognize right now. But the 24-year-old from Syracuse, New York is trying to change that and carve out his own path in the league. It hasn’t been easy so far.
A Fresh Start After a Tough Stretch in the AHL
Tuch was a second-round pick by Montreal back in 2020 (47th overall) and spent four years at Boston University before turning pro. He joined the Laval Rocket late in the 2023-24 season and has mostly struggled to find his game since. In 2024-25 he put up 14 points in 44 games, then matched that total in 68 games last season. Not exactly the kind of production that screams “call me up.”
At 6-foot-2 and over 215 pounds, Tuch plays a power-forward style built around forechecking and physicality. He kills penalties and works around the net. The skills are there. The offensive consistency just hasn’t shown up yet, and he was clearly a guy who needed a change of scenery after spinning his wheels in Laval.
Why Columbus Makes Sense
The Blue Jackets have been loading up on size and grit up front this offseason. They added Valeri Nichushkin from Colorado, and now they’re taking a flier on Tuch. It’s not a splashy move. It’s a depth bet on a guy who might still have another gear.
He’ll likely start the 2026-27 season with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters rather than cracking Columbus’s opening night roster. The competition in Ohio is a little less stacked than it was in Quebec, at least among the forward prospects, so there’s more room for him to earn a look if he starts putting pucks in the net.
The new contract gives both sides some time to figure out if this is going to work. Tuch gets a reset in a new organization. Columbus gets a big-bodied left winger who might turn into a useful bottom-six piece if everything clicks.
And on a personal note, the Tuch brothers are now geographically closer than they’ve been. Alex moved from Buffalo to Washington this summer. Luke went from Montreal to Columbus. That’s a couple hours’ drive instead of a flight. Probably nice for the family.
For now, Tuch is just another name on a two-way deal. But the Blue Jackets saw enough to trade for him and sign him. That counts for something. A fresh start might be exactly what he needs to finally put it together.
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