The New York Rangers could soon acquire some much-needed firepower via the trade market. New York has struggled throughout the first half of the 2025-26 season, particularly with the puck. In fact, they are currently averaging just 2.55 goals per game on the year. This is the lowest figure among all Eastern Conference teams at the moment.
Because of these offensive woes, the Rangers would be on the outside looking in if the playoffs started on January 2. Not only are they struggling, but they are also likely to lose star forward Artemi Panarin in the near future. The team’s undisputed best player will be a free agent after the current campaign. On top of this, Vincent Trocheck’s name has surfaced as a potential trade candidate as well.
There could, however, be some good news coming for Rangers fans. The Athletic’s Chris Johnston is now predicting that New York will land Buffalo Sabres star Alex Tuch ahead of the trade deadline. The forward, like Panarin, is set to become a free agent in the summer, and extension talks have cooled. As a result, Tuch will likely be one of the most sought-after players in the trade market.
“If the Sabres move on from Tuch, the Rangers look like a sneaky good fit,” claims Johnston. “New York is armed with serious cap space this summer, and it doesn’t have a lot of obvious places to deploy it after the most attractive potential UFAs signed extensions with their existing clubs. The Rangers won’t be looking to rebuild and need to make sure they spend that free money wisely.”
New York Rangers Need Sabres to Cool Off to Have Chance of Acquiring Alex Tuch
GettyAlex Tuch is widely seen as one of the top trade targets ahead of the deadline.
Tuch looked almost certain to leave Buffalo as of November or early December. Nevertheless, the situation has changed quite a bit since then. For starters, the Sabres have made a GM change, swapping Kevyn Adams for Jarmo Kekalainen. The new exec has made it clear that he wants to re-sign Tuch at some point.
Buffalo is also currently the hottest team in the NHL after winning 10 consecutive games. If this continues, the Sabres could be headed towards a playoff birth and would want to retain Tuch for the postseason. The star forward could see potential with his current club and possibly sign an extension ahead of the March 6 trade deadline.
The Rangers will be hoping that Buffalo’s hot streak soon turns sour, and the Sabres drop in the standings. Tuch’s chances of getting traded in the coming months drastically improve if this were to happen. In this case, New York would target a sign-and-trade deal to acquire Tuch to help secure his future with the team.
Getting Tuch Would Help Ease Potential Panarin Loss
If acquired, Tuch would certainly help inject some offense into the Rangers. The 29-year-old forward has 32 points in 38 games in 2025-26. He has also reached 35 goals in two of his last four campaigns with the Sabres. Panarin is currently the only New York player with over 30 points on the season.
Potentially signing Tuch would salvage the precarious situation involving Panarin. While the Russian star is widely seen as the better player, Tuch is younger and still a quality forward. It remains to be seen what the Rangers would give up to get the Buffalo winger, but it was recently revealed that New York likely included Alexis Lafreniere in a proposed deal to acquire Quinn Hughes in December.
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