Alex Tuch is no longer a member of the Buffalo Sabres. He plays for the Washington Capitals now.
And as far as first impressions go, it’d be tough for Tuch to do any better.
The Caps played their first game of the 2026-27 NHL season on Friday night, and before the end of the first period, Tuch was already on the score sheet.
In fact, he was on there twice.
Alex Tuch’s Capitals Debut
Tuch notched his first goal just 6:33 into the Capitals’ season opener.
Pierre-Luc Dubois and Alex Ovechkin assisted as Tuch made it 1-0.
The Capitals kept their early roll going against the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes when Cole Hutson scored exactly five minutes later for a 2-0 edge.
Tuch needed less than three minutes from there to make it 3-0 Capitals, and to give himself two goals in his first period with a new team.
Tuch’s second goal was assisted by Dubois again, as well as by Tom Wilson.
Just in the first period, Tuch took three shots and scored on those two. He and Dubois were the only Capitals players to get nine shifts in the first period.
The Capitals didn’t even have a power play yet, but there was Tuch showing that even at even strength, he can be quite dangerous.
It was the fourth time in Capitals history that a player had scored multiple goals in his team debut.
Ovechkin was one of the others, along with Brian Bellows and Mikhail Grabovski:
Alex Tuch
4th player in #ALLCAPS history to score multiple goals in his team debut, joining:
Brian Bellows
Alex Ovechkin
Mikhail Grabovski— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) October 2, 2026
How Capitals Got Alex Tuch
The Capitals got Tuch in the offseason in a sign-and-trade from the Sabres.
Tuch was a free agent, and the Sabres got David Kampf and a third-round pick by doing the sign-and-trade with Washington before free agency opened.
Tuch then signed an eight-year, $84 million deal with Washington.
It was a bit of a bitter ending for Tuch in Buffalo. He had helped the Sabres get to the playoffs for the first time in 15 years, but then in the second round when Buffalo was eliminated, Tuch didn’t notch a single point.
Reports when the season ended indicated that Tuch wouldn’t be discarded by the Sabres simple because of that.
Instead, Buffalo’s call to get rid of Tuch came down more to the other players they wanted to pay. A bunch of youngsters warranted contract extensions, and rather than paying Tuch and risking the loss of a younger player with more potential, the Sabres let Tuch end up elsewhere.
It could still end up looking wise for the Capitals. They have an intriguing mix of experience and youth, and now Tuch gets to add his talent to that.
Capitals’ Alex Tuch Matches Ovechkin History