The NHL roster freeze ahead of the Olympic break is quickly approaching, and Elliotte Friedman has shared new news concerning the teams who are positioning themselves in the Artemi Panarin sweepstakes. The list of teams involved have been divided into two groups, and that includes teams that want to trade for him with an extension, and teams who are not willing to do so at this time. An extension remains important to Panarin, but it will be interesting to see if he's willing to budge a bit given the teams on that list. With that said, here's everything we know right now.
Current teams currently interested in Artemi Panarin
The list of teams interested in Panarin are broken up into two groups, and here is the latest information courtesy of Elliotte Friedman during Saturday Headlines on Hockey Night in Canada.
Extension Teams: Washington Capitals, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, Florida Panthers, Detroit Red Wings
No Extension: Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Anaheim Ducks
50/50: Carolina Hurricanes
During the segment Friedman said, "there's no question that an extension matters." He later said, I think "I think the teams that are interested in doing it are Washington, L.A., San Jose, Florida and Detroit."
Of this list, the one that jumps out in a big way is the Florida Panthers. They are notable in the sense that they currently have a significant cap commitment for next season, and if they were to sign Panarin it would require them getting creative. It is worth noting that Sergei Bobrovsky is a free agent this summer, and he's a close friend of Panarin's.
It is possible that if he comes back he takes a significant discount, and that helps the Panthers work things out. That said, they'd need to create some room in the top nine to fit Panarin, as things are currently crowded with a group that will include Aleksander Barkov, Matt Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, Carter Verhaeghe, Anton Lundell, and Evan Rodrigues.
Then there's the Hurricanes who are in the middle, and are keeping their options open. The Capitals and Sharks both remain interesting teams on the extension front, as do the Stars and Avalanche who could really boost their team if they kept him on as a rental.
Panarin ultimately remains in driver's seat
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. He has 19 goals, 38 assists, and 57 points in 52 games this season, and tallied a line of 205-402-607 in 482 games during seven season with the Rangers. He's easily the most prolific offensive player to be available at the trade deadline in several years, and the hope is that all of this interest yields an impressive return for the Rangers that enables them to start retooling the team in a way that makes them competitive again sooner rather than later.