Chris Drury and the New York Rangers encouraged to move on from star player in 2026

While it may seem like a no-brainer to offer Artemi Panarin a new contract when negotiations can open up July 1st, the Rangers should consider hesitancy.

While he's been a reliable producer for the team, including a 120-point season in 2023-2024, there remain multiple reasons why the team shouldn't foot the bill for the $81.5 million forward.

While the Korkino, Russia-born forward will find himself a pending UFA at the end of the 2025-2026 season, GM Chris Drury shouldn't rush to re-sign him.

Artemi Panarin has a way of losing himself in the mix during the playoffs, a time when the Rangers have needed him the most.

He's not built for the grind of a playoff series, even while scoring a total of 35 points in 46 games with New York. He doesn't have the capabilities players like Mikko Rantanen has during the playoffs, and is incapable of producing at his typical 1.2 PPG during the regular season.

As the team's only superstar his declining production gives us pause, as he should be contributing when the team needs him the most. Last year, he only scored 1 goal in nine total playoff games near the end of the run.

The Rangers have a bona fide superstar in Artemi Panarin. But when the postseason rolls around, he doesn't have the same kind of jolt his peers have. The Rangers will have the ability to pick and choose what kind of dynamic forward they want when players like Kirill Kaprizov, Kyle Connor, Martin Necas, and Adrian Kempe become available.

Would it be wiser to save that kind of cap space for someone they know won't ghost them in clutch moments? I'd say so.

Panarin was part of an off-ice incident that resulted in a settlement being paid to a former employee. The incident happened in December, 2023.

While there was no law enforcement involved afterward, this is a huge red flag for the team, given there was another incident that happened in 2021, which should give us pause. According to reports, he had a confrontation with a Latvian woman, and would take two weeks away while denying guilt.

Neither case would involve any kind of guilty plea or verdict, but the point remains. Could there be another case where the shoe drops, and this time the team could be on the hook for something bigger?

Either way, the time may have come and gone for Panarin, where he was a part of the Rangers' bigger plans.