There’s an interesting thought experiment worth diving into this offseason. The New York Rangers have found themselves in a peculiar spot, looking to replace the production of the departed Artemi Panarin.
But how would things be different if the Rangers hadn’t traded Panarin? What if Chris Drury and company had reached an agreement with Panarin’s camp, keeping him on Broadway?
Now, we know for a fact that ship sailed a long time ago. Panarin and the Rangers weren’t about to reconcile their differences enough to remain together beyond the NHL trade deadline.
There is a possibility, however, that the Blueshirts might have been able to change patch things up to the point where a Panarin extension could have been possible.
At first glance, the first order effect would have been the impossibility of the Pavel Dorofeyev trade. The Rangers would not have been able to afford Panarin and Dorofeyev unless they cleared some significant cap space.
While Dorofeyev has not played a game in New York, it’s really impossible to say that Dorofeyev was a worse idea than re-signing Panarin. But then again, it’s interesting to think of all of the assets the Rangers would have saved by foregoing a trade for Dorofeyev.
In fact, we could even speculate that those assets could be used in a trade for someone like Dylan Larkin. But until we know what the final price tag for Larkin is, we can’t be sure the Rangers would have had enough dry powder to pull off the trade.
Panarin trade was a necessity for Rangers
The main reason behind the Panarin trade was the decline of the Rangers’ veteran core. While the individual players making up said core are still quite effective, there’s a sense that the club needed a major shakeup.
The Panarin trade sent that message.
Even with the arrival of Mike Sullivan, the Rangers were unable to turn things around this past season. That’s why keeping Panarin would have likely perpetuated some of the issues that have been plaguing the team. It was evident that Panarin was unhappy and wanted a change of scenery. He got that in Los Angeles. The Rangers, for their part, got an underwhelming return. But it was the available cap space that allowed them to target someone like Dorofeyev. If the 25-year-old can continue the scoring he showed in Vegas, he should make the narrative surrounding the Panarin trade pretty much moot.
But if Dorofeyev cannot live up to expectations, the discussion regarding the Panarin deal will increase insofar as questioning its overall rationale.
Overall, the Panarin trade was something inevitable. It was bound to happen one way or another. But if the Rangers had kept Panarin, who knows if the club would have been able to make any of the moves it has made up to now.
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