Artemi Panarin would want to play for the New York Rangers
Despite an uncertain future, the belief around the NHL is that Artemi Panarin would like to be a member of the New York Rangers eventually, but does New York want him right now?
With an expiring contract at the end of the season, Artemi Panarin has some decisions to make about his future, but rumor has it that he might be starting to get an idea about what he wants as a trade before the season seems more and more unlikely.
According to Aaron Portzline of the Athletic (subscription required), the belief among front offices around the league is that Artemi Panarin’s preferred destination would be the New York Rangers, who are in the midst of a short term rebuilding process.
Portzline notes that doesn’t automatically mean that Panarin will be a member of the Rangers come the 2019-20 season and that Panarin’s agent denied it to be true, but that three different league sources, from three separate teams all mentioned that they have heard the Rangers are his top choice.
Artemi Panarin is the kind of player you move mountain to acquire if the chance to get him comes around. Panarin put up an impressive career year with 27 goals and 55 assists for 82 points, and was the elite offensive talent the Blue Jackets have searched for for years.
Without him, there is no doubt that Columbus would have handily missed the playoffs.
The 26-year-old Russian has one year remaining on his contract with a $6 million cap hit and will seek a significant raise in the offseason, but has already told the Blue Jackets that he is not willing to negotiate an extension with them, giving them no choice to but to see what he’s worth on the trade market.
The Rangers aren’t willing to give up anything in a trade for Panarin at the moment while they go through their carefully crafted rebuild, simply because it wouldn’t make any sense for them at the moment.
There is no expectation in New York to make the playoffs this season, rather to acquire another top draft pick in the upcoming draft to bolster their prospect system and get another year of experience for their younger players who are ready for NHL action.
Why would they get a player who would put their current plan in jeopardy? If Panarin truly does want to come to New York, they can simply sign at the end of the season when his contract expires without having to surrender any assets that would hurt their rebuild.
The Rangers sound like that they’re playing this situation about right. Patience is absolutely the right play in a situation like this to give the prospects another year to develop, and acquiring even more prospects to bolster themselves down the road.
If the Rangers do get Panarin signed to a long term deal next offseason, it could almost end the entire rebuild. and add him to their elite prospect group, it’s not unreasonable to suspect that they could evolve into full blown powerhouse given time.
The Rangers are going to be making moves this season, but not for Panarin, not yet at least.
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Panarin will have teams lining up to pay him whatever he wants if in the likely event he hits the open market come July 1, 2019. It seems unlikely that the Blue Jackets will move him before the regular season starts, but a trade during the season seems almost inevitable.
Unless Columbus is absolutely certain they can woo him with a Stanley Cup run, letting him walk for nothing would be a waste.