The ominous silence NY Rangers superstar Artemi Panarin has kept regarding his next contract has been mildly concerning to this point.
While players and teams don’t ever jump into the details of ongoing contract negotiations, Panarin’s lack of reassuring comments this week could have much more meaning than meets the eye.
It’s a case of how he said it versus what he actually said. The Athletic quoted Panarin on September 18, stating:
“I’m the same way: can’t speak right now for public. Focusing on hockey, trying to show my best.”
In a way, that was a politically correct answer. But looking at it from another perspective, Panarin tiptoed around an evidently touchy subject. There has been very little information signaling that the Rangers have made Panarin an offer. Unlike the Wild with Kirill Kaprizov, the Rangers haven’t apparently put a contract on the table.
That situation could mean that the Rangers might be pivoting from their longtime star, and perhaps setting their sights on another bigger fish: Connor McDavid.
McDavid landing on Broadway wouldn’t be absurd by any stretch of the imagination. Over the years, plenty of stars have ended up with the Rangers at one point or another. Mark Messier left the Oilers to join the Blueshirts. Wayne Gretzky bolted St. Louis for New York. Jaromir Jagr, Rick Nash, Brad Richards, Panarin himself and so on.
Could it be that the Rangers are holding their breath for McDavid?
It’s a tantalizing thought to consider that Chris Drury might just be able to pull it off.
Rangers in holding pattern like rest of NHL
The entire league is seemingly in a holding pattern. The McDavid-Oilers contract saga appears to have taken much longer to resolve. Everyone thought the two sides would have worked out something by now.
But it’s clear nothing has materialized. That situation has influenced other stars like Kaprizov in Minnesota, Martin Necas in Colorado, and Jack Eichel in Vegas, among others. It seems like everyone is waiting for McDavid to set the market.
Once McDavid signs, everyone will follow suit. Otherwise, players will be content to play out their contracts and take up the matter in the offseason. By then, the cap will have gone up, and teams will be more desperate to get deals done.
Perhaps we’re reading too much into Panarin’s lack of commentary on his contract extension. It could just be his agent telling him to stay mum to avoid saying the wrong thing. Of course, it’s always best to err on the side of caution.
But then again, this season could be one of the most intriguing contract-wise in a long time.