The Washington Capitals have been busy. Really busy.
Just days after picking up Jordan Kyrou from the St. Louis Blues, they went and grabbed another big piece. This time it’s Alex Tuch, acquired from the Buffalo Sabres for a third-round pick. And they didn’t just trade for him. They signed him to an eight-year, $84 million contract with a $10.5 million cap hit.
Tuch was set to be one of the top free agents available this summer. The Capitals made sure he never got there.
His last deal was a seven-year, $33.25 million contract that paid him $4.75 million annually. That’s a significant raise. But Tuch earned it.
The player they’re getting
This past season, Tuch put up 33 goals and 33 assists. He helped the Sabres make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2011. That drought ended, and Tuch was a big reason why.
He originally landed in Buffalo as part of the Jack Eichel trade with Vegas. That deal was huge news at the time, and Tuch has lived up to his end of it. In 615 career NHL games, he has 200 goals and 248 assists. Those are solid numbers for a power forward who plays hard every shift.
Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen wasn’t shy about the situation. He told ESPN that talks with Tuch’s camp went nowhere.
“I don’t think at this point that we’ve come to any point in our talks that would indicate that he’d want to sign with us,” Kekalainen said. “So I think he’s moving on and getting into free agency, and now we’ve got to look at our options.”
He added: “He’s a good player but we have a lot of faith in our group. He’s going to be missed, but we’ll be fine.”
Capitals making a push
Washington is clearly trying to win now. Adding Tuch to a forward group that already includes Alex Ovechkin, Tom Wilson, and now Kyrou gives them serious depth. The cap hit is big, but the cap is going up. And the Capitals have a window with Ovechkin chasing the all-time goals record.
Tuch is 28. He’s in his prime. The contract runs through his age-36 season, so there’s some risk on the back end. But for right now, Washington got a top-six winger who can score, kill penalties, and play heavy minutes.
The Sabres move on with a third-round pick and cap space. They’ll have to figure out how to replace Tuch’s production. That’s not easy. But Kekalainen seems confident in the young core they’ve built.
For Tuch, it’s a fresh start in a city that expects to compete every year. And for the Capitals, it’s another big swing before the Ovechkin era closes.
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