Alex Tuch gets warm reception in return to T-Mobile Arena

Alex Tuch could only put his two blue gloved hands together in front of the visiting bench at T-Mobile Arena.

Hours earlier, the former Golden Knights right wing wondered what kind of welcome he would get in his first game in Las Vegas since being traded to the Buffalo Sabres. He saw the reception right wing Ryan Reaves and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury got when they made their returns in early January. He hoped to get the same. He didn’t know for sure.

Tuch didn’t have to worry. The crowd roared every time he popped up in a three-part tribute video during the first media timeout of Tuesday’s 5-2 Knights win featuring Tuch, center Cody Eakin and left wing Peyton Krebs.

Tuch was able to take it in, offer some brief applause and get back to work. He even scored before the second period was over in his return to T-Mobile Arena to break up goaltender Robin Lehner’s shutout.

“Vegas gave me a lot,” said Tuch, who added that his father and the player’s girlfriend were at the game. “That’s just another thing to add on the list.”

It didn’t take long for Knights fans to get attached to Tuch.

The speedy 6-foot-4-inch winger turned heads from almost the moment he first stepped onto the ice. He was part of an expansion draft trade with Minnesota that remains one of the shrewdest moves in Knights history. The team acquired him for selecting center Erik Haula, and the two combined for 44 goals in their first season in Las Vegas.

Tuch was a precocious 21-year-old rookie most of that inaugural season but matured into a key part of the organization. He was the Knights’ NHL Players’ Association representative before he was traded.

He finished with 139 points in 249 games with the team despite largely playing in a bottom-six role. Left wing Max Pacioretty once nicknamed Tuch the “X-factor” because his size and speed often overwhelmed depth defensemen.

“He’s a heck of a player,” said Eakin, who was with the Knights their first three seasons. “When he’s on and he’s moving his feet and holding onto the puck, there’s no one that can take it away from him.”

The Knights, despite all Tuch accomplished with the team, decided it was worth it to give him up Nov. 4 as part of a trade package for center Jack Eichel. Krebs, the team’s 2019 first-round pick, was included in the deal.

The move represented a homecoming for Tuch, who grew up rooting for the Sabres in New York. It also gave him the chance to take on a larger role once he returned from offseason shoulder surgery Dec. 29.

Tuch plays more than any other Buffalo forward at 19:39 per game, almost two minutes more than his next-closest teammate. He never played more than 16:50 per game with the Knights.

Tuch has taken advantage of his opportunities. He has started his Sabres career with five goals and eight assists in 13 games.

He said Tuesday morning that his Knights career was “was a really good time in my life.” But now he’s started a new chapter.

“His work here prepared him for the challenge we presented to him,” Sabres coach Don Granato said. “It’s a testament to his commitment through his career that he’s been able to seize an opportunity right in front of him. He’s done a great job with it.”

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.