It’s clear that the New York Rangers will be moving star left winger Artemi Panarin after the team announced that he’ll be held out of the lineup until the Olympic break, or if he gets dealt before that.
With that, Panarin prefers to have an extension in place with whatever team that goes on to acquire him. Of course, with a full no-move clause in his contract, the player has all the say in this situation.
‘There’s no question that extension matters still to him,’ Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on his ‘Saturday Headlines’ segment during Hockey Night in Canada.
In the segment, Friedman created a two-sided list of teams that are in the mix for Panarin. One side had teams that were willing to include an extension for Panarin in a trade with the Rangers. The other side had teams who are only interested in acquiring the Russian star as a rental.
On the rental side, there were three teams: the Dallas Stars, Anaheim Ducks, Colorado Avalanche, and Carolina Hurricanes.
It was explained that it would be tough for the Stars to pursue Panarin with a contract extension, considering left winger Jason Robertson is due for a new deal when this season is complete. Friedman said that GM Jim Nill’s goal is to re-sign Robertson, and that ultimately blocks the opportunity to carry Panarin beyond this year.
The Avalanche are in a similar situation as they have to prepare for defenseman Cale Makar, who will require a monstrous contract extension when his current deal expires at the end of next season.
Among teams that are willing to keep Panarin beyond this campaign are the Washington Capitals, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, Florida Panthers, Detroit Red Wings, and the Hurricanes.
Carolina is on both sides of the list, but Friedman explains.
‘The reason is, depending on who you talk to, Carolina is or is not interested in doing it with an extension,’ the NHL insider reported. ‘I think they’re flexible, it just affects what they might be willing to pay for the player.’
He also provides details behind his claims for the Panthers and Red Wings.
‘There’s a lot of teams wondering if the Panthers can actually pull this off,’ Friedman said.
As for the Red Wings, he further reported that GM Steve Yzerman has a history of looking to acquire players who have some term left on their contracts. Acquiring goaltender John Gibson in the offseason is an example of that.
The bottom line of this report is that having an extension in place is important to Panarin. And there are still a handful of teams that are after the 34-year-old.
Panarin has played 52 games this season for the Rangers, his last appearance coming on Jan. 26. In that span, he’s recorded 19 goals and 57 points.
Furthermore, he’s only two years removed from his 120-point campaign in 2023-24. Panarin is also the fifth-highest scorer in the NHL since his debut season in 2015-16.
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