The New York Rangers are at somewhat of an impasse with superstar forward Artemi Panarin. The Russian sniper is entering the final year of his current contract. That situation has opened the door to a deluge of speculation.
While there doesn’t seem to be any risk of trading Panarin, the speculation focuses squarely on whether the Rangers will re-sign him.
At the time of speaking, the Rangers and Panarin have engaged in extension talks. At least, that’s the sentiment expressed in an August 31 piece in The Hockey News. Panarin has been eligible to sign an extension since July 1. However, nothing has materialized.
If the piece is accurate, the Rangers are biding their time to see what happens this season. If the Rangers get off to a strong start, they could move to re-sign The Breadman. However, a slow start could dictate other terms.
The Rangers are one year removed from a Presidents’ Trophy and have much of the same core in place. While it’s worth noting that Panarin had a “down” year last season, the expectation is that he will rebound in short order.
But there may be more brewing beneath the surface. Despite the rising salary cap, the Rangers could be looking to free up cap space for a bigger move. As such, passing Panarin could signal the Blueshirts positioning themselves for a bigger move.
Rangers could be angling for Connor McDavid signing
The speculation is that Artemi Panarin isn’t looking to give the Rangers any hometown discounts. He isn’t expected to go the route John Tavares or Matt Duchene went this offseason. Of course, neither Tavares nor Duchene are the type of player Panarin is. But one has to wonder if Panarin would be willing to take a pay cut to allow New York a shot at signing someone like Connor McDavid.
Ever since McDavid made his cryptic remarks about re-signing with the Oilers, the internet has gone into overdrive about the possibility of the Rangers landing the NHL’s best player.
McDavid is likely to set a record-breaking contract wherever he signs. That means that clubs aiming to land him will need to have plenty of cap space to do so. That’s why clearing Panarin’s $11.5 million cap hit, plus the increase coming next season, could do the trick for the Rangers.
A good season from the Blueshirts would do well to convince McDavid that New York is the place to be. Then again, a bad season by the Rangers may throw a monkey wrench into those plans.
The first month of the season will determine much of what President and GM Chris Drury does moving forward. If the Rangers can return to the playoff contender form, there’s a good shot that this season will be exciting for several reasons.