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Rangers interest in free agent Alex Tuch must depend on ‘long term-vision’
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- Rangers interest in free agent Alex Tuch must depend on ‘long term-vision’
The New York Rangers are not really in position to simply ignore any option to improve their team this offseason. And that includes in free agency, especially at the top of a thin class where Alex Tuch is definitely the most dynamic player available..
Now, Tuch could re-sign with the Buffalo Sabres before he even becomes an unrestricted free agent July 1. He's from upstate New York, had his best NHL seasons — 30+ goals three of the past four years — with the Sabres, and was a big reason Buffalo qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season for the first time since 2010-11 .
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But if he hits the open market, Tuch's going to cash in, expected to more than double his previous AAV of $4.75 million the past seven seasons. That's what happens when every other star free agent from Connor McDavid to Jack Eichel (for whom Tuch was acquired back in 2021) to Kirill Kaprizov to Martin Necas , to Kyle Connor to Artemi Panarin to, even, Evgeni Malkin re-signed with their current team and bypassed the open market.
The Rangers are in a retool, looking to build with young players, but need a serious talent upgrade in their top-six forward group after finishing last in the Eastern Conference in 2025-26 and 23rd overall in the NHL with 235 goals scored.
So, does this particular 30-year-old forward make any sense for the Rangers to pursue this summer, should he reach July 1 unsigned?
"I think the Rangers have to talk through exactly what their competitive window is," PuckPedia's Keith Kavanaugh told Forever Blueshirts on the Rink Rap podcast. "With [owner James] Dolan and the leadership there, [general manager Chris] Drury, they don't ever want to do a full tear-it-down rebuild. It's always going to be a retool in Manhattan. You look at the first time they did the rebuild, they got kind of lucky with the Panarin signing (in 2019), and that kind of flipped the dynamics.
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"For the Rangers, Tuch is interesting, but I don't necessarily think he fits their competitive window because he's a little bit older. … Tuch would definitely make the Rangers better in the short term, but the Rangers have to think about what their long-term vision is, as well."
That does feel like the prudent approach, even if Tuch's two-way play, tenacious forechecking, and scoring ability fits nicely with Mike Sullivan's vision in New York. Tuch's age is an issue when considering a long-term commitment. And Drury did state the goal is to get younger and faster throughout the lineup.
So, those are good reasons not to sign Tuch. But Kavanaugh pointed out that the overall dollars or high average annual value shouldn't be the reason the Rangers pass on Tuch. With the salary cap rising by the year, and the Rangers already working with $26.575 million in available space, money can not be the sole — or even main — reason they pass on Tuch.
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"When you look at contracts, better to look at it as percentage of the salary cap at the time they signed the deal," Kavanaugh explained. "But then also understanding the fact that these GMs the last few years where it was assumed it was going to be a flat cap for the foreseeable future, and now we're in a world where it's a rising salary cap. So, when we see these high-end deals where we have sticker shock, I think we need to just step back and understand the dynamics of the salary cap.
"So, Alex Tuch is probably going to get a $10 million-ish deal on a long-term contract, because of where the market's going, how he's performed in the past, and where the value is going to be in the next 2-3 years."
In other words, those dollars won't crush the Rangers in the short or long term.
But if Tuch won't be a major player for them when they're in their most competitive window, say in a couple or few years, then Kavanaugh suggests passing on this free agent forward, and keep the focus on younger options. That sets the Rangers up to be more active moving forward in the trade market as opposed to free agency.
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Puck's on your stick, Dru. Whatcha' going to do?
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