Elliotte Friedman Reveals Artemi Panarin Is Opened To Joining The Rangers Biggest Divisonal Rivals
Photo credit: Danny Wild
One NHL Insider believes that New York Rangers forward Artemi Panarin will be looking for a new home within the Metropolitan Division when free agency rolls around. Could Elliotte Friedman be proved correct in July?
Forward Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers is a pending unrestricted free agent in the NHL.
With the team's not-so-hot, 3-4-1 eight-game stretch, the picture could change for both Panarin and the Rangers at the end of the year.
The Russian superstar has scored 7 points (2-5) and has failed to be the consistent player they'd hoped he'd be when they signed him in 2019.
With a $11 million price tag and the Rangers looking to get younger, he could end up being a trade chip for the team this postseason.
Stefan Rosner believes contenders could be in on the forward:
If Drury ultimately decides that moving on from Panarin is the best course of action, trading him at the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline is the right move. There will be many contenders who'd love to get their hands on Panarin, whether it's as a pure rental or as someone who will be with that team for at least the next few years -- the Minnesota Wild, the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Florida Panthers come to mind immediately.
But one dark horse to acquire Panarin remains, the New York Islanders, who have a new front office with Matthieu Darche leading the way.
On Tuesday's episode of Morning Cuppa Hockey with Jonny Lazarus and Colby Cohen, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman agreed with Lazarus that the Islanders would be a perfect fit for Panarin, "100%".
It seems to be a bit of a stretch, as the Islanders only have $698K in salary cap space. The Islanders would have to create enough space to offer him more money in order to lure him to Long Island.
For those who remember, the Islanders had offered Panarin more money back in the summer of 2019, yet he took less to join the Rangers. The Islanders thought they had him, and when they didn't win the Panarin sweepstakes, they signed Anders Lee to a seven-year deal worth $7 million annually.
One way the team could create the best situation to acquire Panarin is that Darche's latest signings weren't to term, and with other prospects making the leap to the NHL soon, Panarin could be next on the team's target list.
His time in New York seems to be ticking, as he's turned down a team-friendly deal already.
Previously on NY Rangers Insider
