Written By Intern Justin
The Buffalo Sabres finally did it and traded Jack Eichel to the Vegas Golden Knights last week on November 4. Eichel, who had been on the Sabres since 2015, got into a dispute with management over how to handle a surgery for a herniated disk in his neck. The center got stripped of his captaincy earlier this year and has been on long-term injured reserve all season since he hasn’t been able to get his preferred surgery.
The trade talks surrounding Eichel had been going on for months and he finally got let go from Buffalo early morning on the 4th. It was announced that the Sabres exchanged their ex-captain and a 2023 third-round pick for a 2022 first-round pick (top-10 protected), 2023 second-round selection, Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs. The Sabres retained none of Eichel’s $10 million per year contract with four years remaining while adding draft picks, a solid top-six skater and a great prospect.
…but who are Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs?
Alex Tuch:
Tuch was born May 10, 1996 in Syracuse, NY. Syracuse is about two hours from the KeyBank Center and Tuch grew up a Sabres fan. “Being from Upstate NY, it’s been a dream of mine to put on the Sabres jersey,” said Tuch in a tweet on November 4.
He was drafted 18th overall by the Minnesota Wild in 2014 after being ranked the 12th best North American skater (via the NHL’s rankings). Tuch didn’t go to the NHL right away and instead elected to play college hockey for Boston College. At BC, he scored 32 goals along with 62 points in 77 collegiate games and went to the Frozen Four in his second and final season with the Eagles.
Tuch’s stint with the Wild didn’t last, however. In the 2016-17 season, the 20-year-old Tuch played much of the season in the AHL, where he scored 18 times and had 37 points. He made his NHL debut on February 4, 2017 against the Vancouver Canucks, but had zero points in the six games he played.
In 2017, the Wild traded Tuch to the Vegas Golden Knights.
In Vegas, Tuch finally got his NHL career going. Tuch put up 15 goals and 37 points in 78 games for the Golden Knights in their inaugural season. The upstate NY native also scored six times and contributed 10 points in the playoffs en route to their Stanley Cup appearance. Tuch continued his solid performance with Vegas and accumulated 61 goals, coupled with 139 points, in 249 games.
The 6-foot-4, 220-pound right-winger should be a good addition to the Buffalo Sabres, as he seems to really want to be in Buffalo.
Peyton Krebs:
Krebs, the 2019 17th overall pick, looks to be a great addition to the young Buffalo core. Ranked as the 17th best NHL prospect by The Hockey Writers, Krebs was a must-get in the Eichel trade.
The Okotoks, Alberta native played junior hockey for the Kootenay Ice from 2016-19, netting 37 goals and producing 128 points in 137 games. Krebs continued to play for the Ice from 2019-21, now relocated to Winnipeg, where he scored 25 times and notched 103 points in 62 games. Krebs also led the WHL in assists (30) and points (43) in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season.
The captain of the Ice from 2018-21 made his pro debut in the AHL for the Henderson Silver Knights against the Ontario Reign on February 6, 2021 and picked up an assist in the third period. Krebs played four other games before returning to the WHL for their 24-game season.
After the Ice’s season completed on April 27, Krebs saw his first NHL action. On May 3, the 2021 WHL Player of the Year contributed an assist in a 6-5 loss to the Wild. Conveniently enough, Krebs’ first and only NHL point so far came from an assist to Tuch. Krebs played the next three games for Vegas, and then another nine this season before being traded to Buffalo.
Krebs has one of the highest ceilings of all the players in Buffalo’s system, and he’ll have a chance to grow as a player with the Rochester Americans. The Amerks house some of Buffalo’s top young players such as J-J Peterka and Jack Quinn. With the addition of Krebs, all these youngsters should gel together and that’ll make their adjustment to the NHL so much easier.
In his first game in Rochester, he played winger on a line with Mark Jankowski and Linus Weissbach, but Coach Seth Appert moved him around. Krebs also played on a line with Peterka and Quinn as well as with Sean Malone and Sean MacInnis.
Krebs’ debut had the largest attendance since Rochester’s home opener, featuring 4,210 fans compared to the 5,014 at the opener. Krebs, Quinn and Peterka all hope to play in the NHL soon and playing down in Rochester should help all of their development.