Much has been made regarding a potential trade by the New York Rangers of star winger Artemi Panarin. In the final season of his seven-year deal, rumors started to fly when New York informed Panarin it would not sign him to a new contract. The speculation substantially increased when GM Chris Drury announced that Panarin will be held out of the lineup for the Rangers’ final three games prior to the Olympic break.
If a trade does occur before the deadline, the one certainty is that Panarin will not waive his no-movement clause without a contract extension by the team which lands him. Los Angeles & Washington reportedly both offered the high-scoring winger a 3-year deal with an AAV of $12 million. Panarin rejected both, as he is seeking a minimum 4-year deal with an AAV of $11 million.
Numerous teams are said to have an interest in Panarin. In addition to the Kings and Capitals, those that have been part of this conversation on a consistent basis are Detroit, Carolina, Florida, and Anaheim. From this group, my opinion is that the most likely landing spot for Panarin is either Carolina or Detroit.
First, the offers submitted by the Kings and Caps are viewed by many as being the longest term each club will offer, which, if accurate, rules them out. Second, with respect to Carolina, the Canes have been active buyers on the trade market recently, and an additional acquisition fits this mold; with respect to Detroit, the Wings need additional scoring punch after the first line to make a deep playoff run. Third, both teams have ample cap space to swing this deal, with Detroit at $31.66 million and Carolina at $21.5 million. Finally, a deal of this magnitude certainly would involve high-end prospects. As the prospect pools of both the Canes and Wings are among the deepest in the league, this also makes them prime suitors.
Having said all that, it will be interesting to see how things unfold in the coming weeks.