The 2023-24 season forgettable at best for the Buffalo Sabres and just about all of their players. Minus a few notable exceptions, everyone who donned the blue and gold this season underwhelmed in one way or another and doing report cards as we have in the past might seem silly this time around. Then again, a closer look will be needed in a lot of cases and Alex Tuch would be one of them.
On the surface, Tuch’s second full season in Buffalo was disappointing and he can be placed in the same category as many of his teammates. But while his numbers dropped (considerably in some cases), he actually played much better than it seemed and is still a major piece for the Sabres as they attempt to right the ship heading forward.
Tuch Excelled Despite Offense Going Cold
In 2022-23, Buffalo discovered something of a winning formula by way of an all-out offensive mantra. By scoring first and figuring out the rest later, the Sabres racked up the third-most goals in the NHL and their new top line of Tuch, Tage Thompson and Jeff Skinner was at the forefront. The three found remarkable cohesion together and quickly became one of the most dangerous trios in the game, posting a combined 118 goals, 137 assists, and 255 points. They were the core of the high-octane offensive engine that drove the team all season and got it to within one point of its first playoff berth in over a decade.
It was a banner year for the Sabres’ onslaught (reminiscent of their mid-2000s glory days), but it was for Tuch personally as well. After years of showing great potential but not being able to fully tap into it, he finally had the breakout he had been waiting for and his 79 points dwarfed his previous best of 52. Fans fell in love with his personality and character immediately upon his arrival in 2021, but that season showed he could also walk the walk.
Entering this season, the hope was that the torrid scoring would continue, but that didn’t happen. The offensive engine suddenly ran out of gas and the Sabres looked like a markedly-different team without it. There were a number of reasons as to how it happened, most notably that now-former head coach Don Granato attempted to shift to a more defensive style. The previous season’s high-risk, high-reward mentality undeniably produced results, but it also led to a minus-4 goal differential…
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