Capitals Acquire Alex Tuch in Sign-and-Trade with Sabres

News broke Wednesday (June 24) afternoon that the Washington Capitals and the Buffalo Sabres were finalizing a sign-and-trade for winger Alex Tuch, including an 8-year contract extension with a $10.5 million average annual salary for Washington’s newest winger. It is the second major acquisition in two days for the Capitals after trading for Jordan Kyrou from the St. Louis Blues yesterday (June 23).

Not sure how all the pieces fit yet, but Alex Tuch will be traded to Washington and extend

8 x $10.5M

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 24, 2026

Buffalo is receiving a third-round pick in exchange for the pending unrestricted free agent (UFA), according to Pierre LeBrun. The Capitals do not currently own a 2026 third-round selection, which means that a future draft pick is likely headed to the Sabres in the exchange.

The Sabres will get a third-round pick from the Capitals as part of the sign-and-trade with Alex Tuch.
Tuch will get 8 x $10.5M on his new team.

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 24, 2026

Tuch, 30, was expected to be one of the top UFA forwards this offseason after recording 33 goals and 66 points in 79 games in Buffalo during the 2025-26 season and four goals and seven points in 13 games during the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The swap between the Capitals and Sabres will keep the highly-prized winger from reaching free agency next month.

Tuch leaves Buffalo after five seasons, where he scored 139 goals and amassed 309 points in 360 games. The right winger skated more than 19 minutes per game during the majority of his time in a Sabres sweater and has recorded 200 goals and 448 points in 615-career NHL games over 10 seasons.

The 6-foot-4 winger adds another sizeable body to a big group in Washington that is expected to include Aliaksei Protas (6-foot-6), Ilya Protas (6-foot-5), and Tom Wilson (6-foot-4) next fall. Head coach Spencer Carbery will have plenty of options in how to lineup his hulking forward group next fall.

Washington will need to work out the salary cap logistics after adding nearly $19 million to the cap over the last two days. According to PuckPedia, the Capitals own $23.2 million in cap space after yesterday’s transaction. Teams can exceed the cap by 10% in the offseason, giving the Capitals some additional room to maneuver under next season’s $104 million salary cap.