Artemi Panarin's days as a member of the New York Rangers are numbered, and the superstar forward is confused on why that is the case. The Letter 2.0 was released on Friday, and it was later announced that President and General Manager Chris Drury spoke with Panarin to inform him that the team would not be offering him a contract extension. Panarin had the opportunity to speak on that for the first time on Saturday, and his words were quite telling.
Panarin confused about Rangers' decision
When asked about his reaction to the news, Panarin said, "It's hard to say how I feel. I’m still confused, but the GM decided to go in a different direction. I'm okay with that. I’m a Ranger player right now, so I’ll play every game 100%.”
Panarin remains the Rangers' most productive offensive player, and he's the current leading scorer with a line of 18-36-54 in 48 games played. Since joining the Rangers, Panarin has scored 204 goals, recorded 400 assists, and compiled 604 points in 478 games. While those feats are impressive, Panarin will turn 35 in October, and the last thing a team in transition needs is an older player whose best days as a player are behind them.
Panarin declined on saying more about the situation
After Panarin made his initial comments, reporters tried to get more out of the Blueshirts' star winger, but he opted to let his initial remarks be all that he wanted to say on the matter.
Once the follow-ups started, Panarin made it clear he doesn’t want to comment any more for now.
— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) January 17, 2026
“I actually said everything I want to say about this situation. Let's talk about hockey.”
When I tried again, he quipped, “I’m trying to be smart for once in my life.” #NYR https://t.co/MQflVrnvYb
It is understandable that Panarin isn't going to say more at this point, especially when there is so much uncertainty about the direction the Rangers are going to go in. Panarin's contract includes a no movement clause, and he could block a trade and remain a Ranger for the rest of the season if he wanted to. That isn't the most likely scenario, but it still is a possibility.
Panarin is already going to be the most sought after free agent, because many players who were scheduled to become free agents like Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel re-signed with their team before the start of the season. Limited competition means Panarin is going to get paid regardless, but I think there are teams that may want to see him have a productive playoff run.
Panarin's Rangers playoff runs include 16 points in 20 games, two points in seven games, and 15 points in 16 games, and that drop-off in production has called into question whether or not he can be counted on when the games matter most. This isn't to say teams will hold that against him, but if he were to average over a point per game on a team that makes a lengthy playoff run, that could bump up his average annual value in a meaningful way.
There is no timeline for when the Rangers will start making moves, and for the time being Panarin is a Ranger who is 100 percent committed to doing all that he can to help the team win. With that comes a risk of him potentially getting injured, so it will be important for the braintrust to start identifying places Panarin may be willing to go, otherwise they run the risk of not being able to move him, and losing him for nothing.