Alex Tuch is heading to Washington and the Maple Leafs may have dodged a big contract

Alex Tuch is to be traded to the Washington Capitals on Wednesday afternoon in a sign-and-trade with a contract worth $84-million over eight years.

The Buffalo Sabres are parting ways officially with Alex Tuch and are looking to move on. Though instead of letting him hit free agency, they decided to at least get something in return as they traded the pending free agent to the Washington Capitals.

Elliotte Friedman was first to break the news on X:

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Tuch, 30, had 66 points (33 goals, 33 assists) in 79 games for the Sabres while adding a plus-24, 90 blocks and 82 hits in 19:00 TOI in 2025-26.

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There's no word yet on the return for Tuch as of yet though David Pagnotta reports the return is likely going to be higher than what Tampa received in their sign-and-trade involving Toronto and Darren Raddysh:

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Pierre LeBrun confirmed that the return for the Sabres is going to be a third-round pick which confirms Pagnotta's suspicions:

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It's the second gigantic deal the Capitals have pulled off recently, as they also just added Jordan Kyrou from the St. Louis Blues. As he and Tuch are both RW, you start to wonder where the future of Alex Ovechkin lies.

Tuch's trade to Washington leaves the Maple Leafs empty-handed and that's a good thing

Honestly, as cool as it would have been to see John Chayka pull off another sign-and-trade; it's not feasible.

That $84-million deal is going to appreciate a bit with the rising cap, but it's still a $2-million AAV increase over the contract Darren Raddysh signed.

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That would've given then Maple Leafs only $8-million to work with while needing to make way for deals like Nick Robertson's new contract, and it would ruin whatever flexibility they are trying to have when it comes to the cap.

Morgan Rielly and Brandon Carlo's combined money would have covered it, but then you're left with a stripped-down blueline and not a lot of cash to work with.

Tuch would have been a great addition on the wing for Auston Matthews, but not at that price. Toronto will likely have someone like Gavin McKenna on the wing alongside the captain to give him the help he needs, meanwhile Matthew Knies can be the big-bodied protector like Tuch - if he isn't traded away.

Washington is clearly trying to put this season behind them and are preparing for a last-ditch Cup with Ovechkin then eventually a world without him. They certainly broke the bank acquiring Tuch, and they saved Toronto from potentially paying for the wrong player.

Also read on Hockey Patrol :
Maple Leafs fans are not going to like what the Morgan Rielly trade actually brings back