The New York Rangers are looking to rebound from a disastrous start to the season. They are already 4-5-2 on the year, and have lost six of their last eight games. The team got back in the win column on Tuesday night game against the Vancouver Canucks, and the hope is that eventually, the team will break out of the slump and eventually return to playoff contending form.
As the team continues to lose, fans begin looking at the opportunity to rebuild. That means selling some players who are set to hit free agency. The biggest name is Artemi Panarin, who is going to be one of the top players on the open market next summer. So far this season, Panarin has not lived up to his usual expectations.
NHL insider Frank Seravalli appeared on Bleacher Report on Tuesday, and said that he could see Panarin ending up on the rival Carolina Hurricanes when a fan asked about Nazem Kadri's chances of ending up on the team.
Artemi Panarin to the CANES? @frank_seravalli says that's one name to keep an eye on for Carolina 🍿 pic.twitter.com/5akl87fudb
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) October 28, 2025
"I could see Artemi Panarin as a Cane. That's one name to keep an eye on for the Carolina Hurricanes," said Seravalli. "we know they want to be aggressive. That's one guy I'd be keying in on if the Rangers continue to hover at the bottom of the standings. Could they convince Artemi Panarin to go to the Carolina Hurricanes? And what would that look like? Because I think that would be a great fit for a team that also has some Russians."
NHL insider lists Carolina Hurricanes as potential trade landing spot for Artemi Panarin
The Rangers are all too familiar with Carolina becoming a landing spot for their former players. That is either through trades or in free agency.
This past summer, the Rangers notably traded away defenseman K'Andre Miller to the Hurricanes in exchange for a first and second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, and defenseman Scott Morrow. This move was made before Miller technically hit free agency, but he signed an eight-year, $60 million contract with the Hurricanes.
That is far from the only trade the Rangers made with the Hurricanes. Back in 2020, the Rangers sent over defenseman Brady Skjei for a 2020 first-round pick. Skjei became an integral part of the Hurricanes defense after the Rangers opted not to re-sign him.
Other former Rangers to play for the Hurricanes in recent memory include Jesper Fast, Derek Stepan, Brendan Smith, and Antti Raanta.
The fact of the matter is, the Rangers trading one of their stars to one of their main rivals would be a tough pill to swallow. The Hurricanes have been consistent Stanley Cup contenders in recent memory, but have fallen well short of that goal. The expectation heading into this season is that they would make it to the playoffs out of the Metropolitan Division. The Hurricanes have shown the aggressiveness to try and bring in a star to help their chances. Mikko Rantanen, albeit for a small stretch of last season before realizing he didn't want to sign with them. Then there was trying to bring in Mitch Marner from the Toronto Maple Leafs, but to no avail.
Rangers fans know what Panarin can bring on the ice when he's at 100 percent. He's been one of their most productive free agent signings of all time. Besides the 2020-21 season (58 points in 42 games), Panarin put up no fewer than 89 points in a season. Panarin has not helped lead the Rangers to wins, as he has seven points in 11 games. Once he does get rolling, he should be a huge contributor the rest of the way.
President and General Manager Chris Drury will have to make a decision regarding Panarin. Does he want to re-sign him? We know that there were overtures about a potential short-term deal this past offseason, but to no avail. Will he opt to keep Panarin and hope they can come to terms on a contract extension? Or will they take a page out of the Boston Bruins' playbook last year, when they traded impending free agent Brad Marchand? Bruins fans watched Marchand play for the rival Florida Panthers and immediately win a Stanley Cup. Rangers fans may not be able to stomach Panarin winning a Cup with the Canes.
If it does come to the latter, Seravalli does mention Carolina as a good fit for Panarin.