Trading Artemi Panarin should have been a slam dunk for the New York Rangers. Just about every team in the league would have been interested in the Russian superstar. Some clubs would have been willing to massively overpay.
Along the way, Panarin would have been able to choose a team to his liking, while potentially working out a contract extension.
Therein lies the dilemma.
Panarin has been adamant about signing a contract extension. He wants to cash in on what is likely his last contract. He hasn’t been coy about wanting a big payday and term. That’s gummed up the entire situation.
The original plan was to work out a deal before the Olympics. But with the roster freeze upon, it doesn’t seem likely. Unless the Rangers and Panarin’s camp pull off an all-nighter, it looks like this situation will drag on through the Olympics.
While that is not necessarily a bad thing, it will needlessly extend the drama. Instead of becoming acclimated to his new team, Panarin will sit somewhere awaiting his fate. Even if the Rangers and the other party work something out this week, the deal can’t go through until February 22.
In the meantime, everyone will keep Panarin in bubble wrap. Heaven forbid if he should slip on a banana peel. That could derail everything.
Panarin wants to go to teams that can’t afford him
Another facet of that harsh truth is that the teams that Panarin wants to go to simply can’t afford him. As Vincent Mercogliano pointed out in The Athletic, Panarin wants to go to the Florida Panthers. But they just don’t have the cap space to make it work. Moreover, they can’t afford the contract extension that he wants.
If Panarin were willing to go there as a rental, it could work. Panarin could very well get his Stanley Cup ring and move on to another club.
That doesn’t seem like the preferable outcome, however. If Panarin were open to a rental, the Dallas Stars and even the Colorado Avalanche could become options. But then again, wouldn’t that defeat the purpose of this entire soap opera?
The fact is that trading Panarin was never going to be an easy endeavor. It was one that required much more time and legwork. Everyone is finding that out now.
But I will say one thing. If Panarin gets off his high horse and settles back into reality, he may have a shot at a very good contract while accelerating the trade in the process.
In the meantime, waiting could be the name of the game.