When the Washington Capitals acquired and extended Alex Tuch to a massive eight-year deal worth $10.5 million annually, fans were quick to question the term, but were happy to see that they had landed a superstar of his calibre. Recently, though, the deal was referred to as one of the worst contracts in the entire league.
Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic already ranked the contract as the NHL's ninth-worst pact with just a 19% positive value probability heading into the 2026-27 season.
"It's difficult not to be an Alex Tuch fan after what he's shown in Buffalo the past five years," Luszczyszyn wrote. He continued, "..The deal might look OK for the first couple of years, but things could get really ugly in the second half of it as Tuch approaches 35 and beyond. A lot of Tuch's comps had a relatively harsh age curve that could spell trouble for Washington."
Luszczyszyn estimates the Capitals will pay $24 million in excess value over the course of the contract, and that he is only projected to make an $8.7 million on-ice impact next season, meaning the deal will likely start as a negative deal right out of the gates.
Tuch, who is 30 years old, played 79 games with the Buffalo Sabres last season, scoring 33 goals and adding 33 assists for 66 points. Throughout his career, he has scored 200 goals and added 248 assists for 448 points through 615 games. He also has 79 games of playoff experience under his belt, where he has scored 23 goals and added 17 assists for 40 points.
I would be surprised if fans didn't question the term of Tuch's new deal with the Capitals, but calling it one of the worst deals in the NHL came as a surprise, and I firmly disagree.
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