In case you missed it last week, the rumor mill of the NY Rangers was running wild when a report by Arthur Staple of The Athletic (paid subscription) said that there could be some problems within the organization. Namely, between general manager Chris Drury and left winger Artemi Panarin.
Now, as always this time of year with the full offseason ahead of us, it’s always important to take things with a grain of salt. The truth of the matter is, yes, Panarin didn’t deliver in the Stanley Cup playoffs to the level that many wanted him to. During the regular season, Panarin scored 22 goals, 74 assists, and a career-high 96 points. Expectations were high that would carry over into the Rangers’ postseason run.
No doubt that fans, his teammates, and even Drury himself expected Panarin to go on a tear this postseason but unfortunately, something was off. He lacked that aggression, tenacity, and well, the presence the hockey world saw throughout the regular season but it simply didn’t translate into postseason results.
It will be hard for the NY Rangers to trade Artemi Panarin
In the grand scheme of things, Panarin is still a very good hockey player, and well, these things happen. It’s hard to tell if his lack of delivering for the Rangers when it mattered most in the postseason will result in them wanting to trade him but at the end of the day, it just seems unrealistic.
At this point in time, Panarin has four years left on his contract with the Rangers and quite the hefty salary. He won’t be an unrestricted free agent until 2026 as his annual salary is $11.6 million which will make it extremely hard for any team to be willing to pick that up to acquire his services.
As of right now, your guess is as good as mine if the Rangers will entertain some trade offers for Panarin but a gut feeling says he’s not going anywhere. He still has a ton of good hockey left in him and make no mistake about it, the Rangers will be right back into postseason contention this upcoming season.
The Rangers have a very good foundation right now to easily make another Stanley Cup run. Once they add even more pieces to the puzzle via this year’s NHL Draft and free agency period, it’s safe to say the Rangers will be just fine in the grand scheme of things.
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For now, the latest trade rumors involving the Rangers and Panarin are simply, rumors. Nothing more, nothing less. If one had to look at the entire picture, it doesn’t seem likely for a split anytime soon. The window of a Stanley Cup championship is now for the Rangers and they’ll need Panarin to continue being a contender over the next few years.