BUFFALO, N.Y. — When Jack Eichel made it clear he wanted to leave the Sabres, he may not have expressed his frustrations the right way, but it was hard to blame him.
After six seasons of losing, multiple changes in the front office and on the coaching staff, where was there a sign that the Sabres were doing the right thing to turn this team around?
Some proof of the right rebuild on the way could be general manager Kevyn Adams trading away Eichel away and receiving Alex Tuch in return.
Getting to the NHL has always been a dream for Alex Tuch.
"My grandpa came over here from Germany, and when he saw the 'Tuch' on the back of my first NHL jersey, Minnesota, he was smiling ear to ear. And he was a Sabres fan growing up," Tuch said.
So was Alex. His NHL dreams were realized, and now becoming a Sabre is the icing on the cake.
To the 25 year old, there's nothing better.
"There's nothing like this in the world. There's nothing like playing in the NHL," Tuch said, adding that playing in the backyard rink in Syracuse while growing up is a close second.
The two things better than backyard hockey: playing in the NHL, and battling on the pond as a kid with former Sabre Tim Connolly.
"Tim Connolly was my next-door neighbor, and he skated in my backyard ice rink. We played roller hockey together. ... Really put it into perspective for me that, you know what? A kid from Syracuse can make it in the NHL and can become an established NHL player."
Tuch made his debut on February 4, 2017, with the Minnesota Wild before an expansion draft trade to Vegas, and now a trade home, where the flame was lit for his love of hockey, watching the Sabres make the conference finals in 2006 and 2007.
"Honestly, it wasn't they had these world-class guys like McDavid or anything like that. They had a lot of guys that came in, and bought into the system, and were role players," Tuch said.
"They had a lot of fun, and they worked really hard. And you know what? The fans of Buffalo saw that. They really rallied behind them. ... That's what I hope will happen someday again soon."
2 On Your Side's Julianne Pelusi asked Tuch if he felt the current Sabres team had a similar drive when nobody believed in them.
"I'm not going to make any promises or anything like that, but it's going to be a lot of fun to be a part of. ... Hopefully a journey that will shock a lot of people," he said.
The Sabres haven't made the postseason since 2011. They've also been chasing the right leadership mix since 2007, but the tide may be turning for the team that helped an 11-year-old fall in love with the game.
Tuch is becoming a natural leader to complement alternate captains Kyle Okposo and Zemgus Girgensons.
Before even playing a game, Alex Tuch has fit like a glove in Buffalo.
So as Buffalo tries to wash its hands clean of the heartache, and finally step into a new era, what will Tuch's role as a leader be?
"I haven't even thought about it. It's just to be able to put on the jersey. That's what really matters to me most. ... It's going to be an unbelievable feeling to see 'Tuch 89' on the back of that jersey," he said.