The New York Rangers received a bit of good news when it comes to the free agent market this offseason.One of the players they have been connected to the most, right winger Alex Tuch, is officially available. It has been revealed that the Buffalo Sabres are prepared to move on from him after the two sides were unable to work out an extension.The Sabres would have loved to keep the veteran forward in Buffalo, but they didn’t meet his asking price. With a projection north of $10 million annually, it makes a lot of sense for Tuch to test the market and see what he can get as the No. 1-ranked free agent this summer.The Rangers, who have nearly $30 million in cap space and the need for a dynamic scoring forward, were thought to be in the mix. However, the good news quickly disappeared because they missed out on the opportunity to land Tuch.Mar 25, 2022; Buffalo, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres right wing Alex Tuch (89) skates with the puck as Washington Capitals center Lars Eller (20) looks to defend during the third period at KeyBank Center. / Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn ImagesAs shared by Elliotte Friedman on X originally, sources indicated that the Washington Capitals were the favorites to land Tuch. The Sabres wanted to explore sign-and-trade options involving the veteran right winger, and that is exactly what they got done.In an update, Friedman shared that there are still a few details to iron out, but Tuch is heading to the Capitals as part of a sign-and-trade. He will sign an eight-year deal with an average annual value of $10.5 million.It is one thing to just spend money on a player in free agency. When you have as much as the Rangers do at their disposal, overpaying a bit to secure a player who addresses a real need makes a lot of sense.However, if they were going to have to trade assets to Buffalo to get a deal done, that is something they may not have been as willing to do. Given the state of their roster, they are more than just a Tuch away from being a playoff contender in the Eastern Conference after finishing in last place.Not sure how all the pieces fit yet, but Alex Tuch will be traded to Washington and extend 8 x $10.5M— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 24, 2026The Capitals, on the other hand, are always in win-now mode as long as Alexander Ovechkin is suiting up. They’re also much closer to being a playoff team after registering 95 points this past season; the last playoff team in the Eastern Conference was the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins, who had 98 apiece.In their situation, adding a player of Tuch’s caliber could certainly be the difference in three points in the standings during the season. That is on top of them already acquiring Jordan Kyrou from the St. Louis Blues. It would be a much tougher sell for New York to not only hand out a lucrative contract but also trade assets to the Sabres.If that is the route the Rangers want to take, making a run at a restricted free agent such as Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars or Pavel Dorofeyev of the Vegas Golden Knights would make a lot more sense. They are 26 and 25 years old right now, respectively, while Tuch is 30.