Artemi Panarin's time as a New York Ranger is coming to an end, and the sweepstakes for his services is starting to heat up with the latest news emerging that there's mutual interest with him and the San Jose Sharks.
San Jose has inquired about Panarin, willing to offer contract extension
It was previously reported by Chris Johnston that Panarin wanted an extension as part of a trade for him to consider waiving his no movement clause, and that understandably limited potential suitors due to salary cap constraints. Sheng Peng covers the San Jose Sharks, and he reported on Wednesday that, "San Jose Hockey Now has learned that the Sharks have inquired about pending UFA winger Artemi Panarin — and that the New York Rangers star would be willing to sign an extension with San Jose."
The Sharks are currently holding down the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, and have the Los Angeles Kings and Seattle Kraken circling them. San Jose is led by superstar forward Macklin Celebrini, and while they have other youngsters of note on the roster, they still need more overall talent as they look to become a contender.
In due time, Will Smith and William Eklund will be bona fide top six players with Celebrini, and you could say the same about recent draft pick Michael Misa. But the Sharks haven't been contenders for a long time, and with a very talented and exciting young core, it makes sense why they'd want to add a player of Panarin's caliber as they build up the roster.
The Sharks as an organization have bigger needs, primarily defense, but the reported mutual interest as well as their rumored interest in Braden Schneider certainly adds a wrinkle to the situation. San Jose is run by Mike Grier, and he worked under Chris Drury briefly before heading to California. The Sharks also have Ryan Reaves on the roster, and he's someone who was very close with Panarin.
All of this is to say that you can start to see some connections beyond the initial concept of San Jose being a team on the rise looking to push for the playoffs this year with the hopes of that success being valuable experience as they look to grow into a true contender.
Panarin holds all the cards
Panarin's no movement clause puts him in the driver's seat in negotiations, and where he goes will come down to what situation he feels will be best for him over the next several seasons. If money is a main factor, San Jose could be a top choice. If winning a Stanley Cup is more important, he could take a little less to join a team like the Carolina Hurricanes. All of this is very new for Panarin, and he certainly is going to want to take his time on what is one of the most important decisions of his career to this point.