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Vegas Golden Knights: Three players who need to step it up after bye week

By Andrew Steele-Davis

BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 21: Vegas Golden Knights right wing Alex Tuch (89) watches a face off during a game between the Boston Bruins and the Vegas Golden Knights on January 21, 2020, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 21: Vegas Golden Knights right wing Alex Tuch (89) watches a face off during a game between the Boston Bruins and the Vegas Golden Knights on January 21, 2020, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JANUARY 11: Alex Tuch #89 of the Vegas Golden Knights faces off with Alexander Wennberg #10 of the Columbus Blue Jackets during the third period at T-Mobile Arena on January 11, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JANUARY 11: Alex Tuch #89 of the Vegas Golden Knights faces off with Alexander Wennberg #10 of the Columbus Blue Jackets during the third period at T-Mobile Arena on January 11, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images) /

1. Alex Tuch

There were lofty expectations for Alex Tuch coming into this year following what was a breakout season for the forward in 2018-19.

Tuch, who was acquired by the Vegas Golden Knights from the Minnesota Wild in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, broke out in a big way last year with 52 points (20 goals, 32 assists) in 74 regular season games, setting career-highs in a number of categories.

It was a tantalizing glimpse of the potential Tuch boasts, potential he showed in flashes during his rookie year in 2017-18 as he tallied 37 points (15 goals, 22 assists) for the Knights.

So, as a result, Tuch was expected to be an offensive juggernaut for Vegas this season and drive secondary scoring from the third line.

However, an upper-body injury sustained in the preseason for the third consecutive year derailed Tuch, who has never quite recovered since.

BOSTON, MA – JANUARY 21: Vegas Golden Knights right wing Alex Tuch (89) shoots in warm up before a game between the Boston Bruins and the Vegas Golden Knights on January 21, 2020, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – JANUARY 21: Vegas Golden Knights right wing Alex Tuch (89) shoots in warm up before a game between the Boston Bruins and the Vegas Golden Knights on January 21, 2020, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Another upper-body injury hindered the forward further, and both ailments really set the tone for what has been a miserable year for Tuch so far.

Through 35 games, the wing has recorded just six goals and seven assists for 13 points, with five of those coming on the power play.

Tuch is also a -11 on the year while he has a shooting percentage of 8.3 in 14:31 minutes of average total ice time.

Tuch’s CF% of 52.3 is actually impressive but the overall body of work is a serious disappointment, especially when you consider what the forward achieved last year.

Granted, playing with a flurry of linemates on that problem-plagued third-line hasn’t helped Tuch’s cause, nor has the play of those he has often been out on the ice with.

However, it is important to let bygones be bygones and Tuch must now focus on coming back after the bye week fresh and firing on all cylinders.

Secondary scoring, or a lack thereof, has been a huge bugaboo all year but that problem would certainly be eradicated if Alex Tuch can settle into a groove and rediscover the recipe that made him such an offensive juggernaut last year.

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