“Alex was a highly coveted player, and we are pleased that he chose to come to Washington,” Capitals general manager Chris Patrick said. “Alex is a top-six offensive forward who brings size, versatility, and the ability to contribute in all situations. He consistently gets to the net, competes at a high level, plays a strong 200-foot game, and has proven year after year to be a highly effective goal scorer and productive offensive player. Beyond what he brings on the ice, his leadership, work ethic, and commitment to playing the right way make him an invaluable addition to our group. We believe he will have a significant impact both on and off the ice and will be an excellent fit within our forward corps.”
Tuch was second on the Sabres in goals (33) behind forward Tage Thompson (40) and was third in points (66) in 79 regular-season games. He had seven points (four goals, three assists) in 13 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
“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,” Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said Wednesday before the trade. “So I think he’s moving on and getting into free agency and now we got to look at our options whether it’s a sign-and-trade or if we can recoup some value now that we used him as a rental for our own team. We made it clear to him that we wanted to sign him. He was an important player for us. … Sometimes when players have the power to choose, they choose differently.”
Tuch, who grew up a Sabres fan in Baldwinsville, New York, just over two hours east of Buffalo, spent the past five seasons in Buffalo and helped the team end a 15-year playoff drought this year.
“I love it here. I’ve loved my time here,” Tuch said after the Sabres were eliminated in seven games by the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Second Round. “I’ve loved playing hockey here. I’m going to do whatever’s best for myself and my family. That’s all. That’s my power and consideration. I don’t know how talks are going to proceed. I don’t know what they’re going to say, I don’t know the future. But my main priority is my family.”
Selected by the Minnesota Wild in the first round (No. 18) of the 2014 NHL Draft, Tuch has 448 points (200 goals, 248 assists) in 615 regular-season games for the Wild, Vegas Golden Knights and Sabres and 40 points (23 goals, 17 assists) in 79 playoff games.
“We have a good plan on how to replace Alex Tuch, and we’re going to look at every option, whether it’s free agency or trade,” Kekalainen said. “But we also have a lot of returning options for the role of getting a little bit more ice time, more responsibility, more offensive time, all those things. So I think we’re in really good shape.”
Kampf had six points (two goals, four assists) in 40 games for the Vancouver Canucks and Capitals this season. He was traded to the Capitals on March 6 for a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and appeared in two games for Washington after the trade, with no points.
The 31-year-old has 149 points (50 goals, 99 assists) in 576 regular-season games for the Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Canucks and Capitals and seven points (four goals, three assists) in 35 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
It was the second major trade made by the Capitals in two days after they acquired forward Jordan Kyrou from the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday for forward Connor McMichael, forward prospect Milton Gastrin and a first-round pick (No. 16) in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Kyrou had 46 points (18 goals, 28 assists) in 72 games this season. The 28-year-old forward has five seasons remaining on an eight-year, $65 million contract ($8.125 million average annual value) he signed with St. Louis on Sept. 13, 2022.
Buffalo also traded defenseman Bowen Byram and forward Jordan Greenway to the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday for the No. 4 and 45 picks in the 2026 draft, and defenseman Louis Crevier. Byram and Greenway can each become an unrestricted free agent after next season, while Crevier can become a restricted free agent then.
“We like Bowen Byram a lot, wanted to re-sign him, that wasn’t going to happen so we had to make a decision and the deal that we had in front of us, a couple of deals that we had in front of us were too good to pass on,” Kekalainen said. “So we made the trade and now we have some draft capital we can use to improve our team whether it’s in the near future with a trade, through a trade or by making a pick. We’ll weigh all those options until the draft time and make another decision or two.”
NHL.com independent correspondent Heather Engel contributed to this report
