An extension is a possibility for whoever acquires Artemi Panarin
With the New York Rangers down and out of the playoff picture and having publicly waved the white flag on their season, general manager Chris Drury will be a key player at the NHL trade deadline as one of the few cut-and-dry sellers.
He’s already started the process by shipping Carson Soucy to the nearby Islanders, but there is more work to be done.
Chiefly, pending free agent star winger Artemi Panarin will command a huge return, one that could go even higher if he’s willing to ink a contract extension with the team that lands him.
Contenders like the Los Angeles Kings, Washington Capitals, Carolina Hurricanes and Dallas Stars are among the teams that could benefit the most from landing an elite offensive engine like Panarin.
On Wednesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, host Tyler Yaremchuk and co-host and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton were joined by NHL insider David Pagnotta to discuss whether or not Panarin could stick around beyond this season with any team who pays the price to bring him in before the deadline.
Carter Hutton: “You know, another player that we talked about… We’re going to try to move on to Panarin. Like, you know, where are some suitors for him, right? Is he open to an extension and what teams, you know, are willing to move on to Panarin?”
David Pagnotta: “So this is going to be interesting because, yes, he’s open to an extension. And I think teams like Washington and LA kind of prefer having locked into an extension. I think Carolina might as well to a certain extent, if they really get into that race. Other teams like, you know, Dallas, for example… When Panarin is moved, the expectation around the league is the Rangers are going to retain a good chunk of that salary. Will they go up to 50%? Obviously, we’ll wait and see. I think there’s a willingness depending on what the return is for a team like Dallas. That’s important. They’ve got cap space, but it gives them more flexibility if you’re bringing in Panarin at just under 6 million versus 7 or 8 million. So I think they’re open to the rental parameter because they also have Jason Robertson they’ve got to worry about who needs a deal… But with respect to Panarin, I think it’s an extension. Now at the same time, I think these teams prefer to look at Panarin as three times 12, as opposed to four or five years and whatever number that that ends up looking at. Now, if it’s four or five years and it’s a $9 million cap hit, maybe that’s different. I don’t get that sense. I think three times 12 is in and around the sweet spot.”
You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…