Artemi Panarin Continues To Skate On His Own And Remains In Good Spirts As He Waits For Trade

Everybody is still waiting for Artemi Panarin to be traded, as a deal appears to be imminent. 

However, it’s been almost a week since the New York Rangers officially decided to hold Panarin out of the lineup due to roster management, so what exactly is he doing now?

Mike Sullivan confirmed that Panarin is still skating on his own, and he remains in good spirits during this time.

“He’s good. He’s good,” Sullivan said of Panarin. “He is continuing to skate on his own schedule, and I spoke to him yesterday. We'll continue to control what we can until the business side of the game resolves itself.”

With the anticipation of a Panarin trade lingering for quite a while now, it’s a situation that has seemed to impact the team, especially once he was suddenly yanked out of the lineup ahead of the Rangers’ game against the New York Islanders last Wednesday. 

“I'd probably be lying to you if I said it doesn't have an impact,” Sullivan said of Panarin’s absence. “These guys are human beings, and of course, it does. The uncertainty is not easy. And the other aspect of it is that these guys, they build relationships, they care about each other, they're friends, and so, the business side of the game sometimes can be more difficult.

The roster freeze is set to take effect on Feb. 4 at 3 PM EST, and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has reported that there’s about a 75% chance he gets traded before then.