- Alex Tuch says he is more confident than ever about signing with the Capitals
- Washington added Jordan Kyrou, Boone Jenner and Vincent Desharnais this offseason
- Read below for Tuch’s take on his new teammates and the Ovechkin return
Alex Tuch signed up in Washington to win, and a wild few weeks of moves only made him surer about the choice.
Asked on 106.7 The Fan’s Grant & Danny about the Capitals’ busy free agency, Tuch kept it simple. “I love it,” he said. “A lot of really good improvements to the roster. I feel that much more confident in my decision to come to a team that wants to contend and wants to win.”
He went a step further on Elliot in the Morning. “I don’t think any team is gonna push us around next year, that’s for sure.”
Watch Tuch break down his move to D.C. and the team’s aspirations:
Tuch landed in Washington on an eight-year deal after the Capitals reworked their roster. Along with him, the front office brought in Jordan Kyrou, Boone Jenner, Vincent Desharnais and a stack of depth signings.
Kyrou arrived from St. Louis in a June 23 trade, and Tuch battled him in the Western Conference for years. “He brings a lot of speed and talent up front,” Tuch told The Sports Junkies. “He’s a player that’s going to give us a lot of firepower.”
Jenner, the former Blue Jackets captain, gives the Caps a heavy body down the middle. Tuch has the losses to prove it. “If I ever have to go in the faceoff dot against him, I don’t think I’ve ever won a faceoff against him,” he said.
Then there’s Desharnais, the 6-foot-7 defenseman Tuch called the owner of the heaviest cross-checks in the league. “It took me a couple shifts to feel back to normal” after one last season, Tuch said. He sounds relieved that it’s someone else’s problem now.
The spending spree did more than pump up the new guys. It helped convince Alex Ovechkin to run it back for a 22nd season.
Washington missed the playoffs last spring. Tuch doesn’t sound like a guy who plans on letting that happen twice.
