Four Potential Trade Destinations For Artemi Panarin

New York Rangers GM Chris Drury sent a shot across the bow to his team Friday, delivering a letter to Rangers fans that made it clear major changes are coming to this underperforming lineup.

Furthermore, a follow-up Sportsnet report stated that Rangers star left winger Artemi Panarin will not be offered a contract extension before he becomes a UFA this summer. 

The news wasn’t shocking, given that the Blueshirts have plummeted to last place in the Eastern Conference, and that Panarin has shown no interest in taking a discount to remain a Ranger.

So, whether it’s ahead of the Olympic roster freeze beginning on Feb. 4, or at the March 6 NHL trade deadline, it’s now clear Panarin will soon be an ex-Ranger.

Panarin does have a full no-move clause in his current deal, so he may choose to play out the year in Manhattan. But if he’s looking at the months ahead from a businessman’s perspective, Panarin could engineer a trade to a team he believes will give him a new contract in the area of the $11.6 million he’s been making for the past seven years.

With that in mind, here are four teams that could be potential destinations for Panarin, in alphabetical order.

The Carolina Hurricanes have been one of the NHL’s top regular-season teams for many years now, but Carolina GM Eric Tulsky has brilliantly managed his salary cap, as the Canes currently have $17.2-million in cap space. That means the Hurricanes could take on Panarin’s full salary without having New York retain any salary. 

Remember, this is the first season teams have to be cap-compliant in the Stanley Cup playoffs. So Carolina’s cap situation is crucial to being able to fit Panarin in by playoff time. 

The Hurricanes have four first-round picks in the next three drafts, and they’ve also got a slew of high-end prospects that could interest Drury.

The Rangers GM may be hesitant to trade Panarin to a Metropolitan Division rival, but Carolina’s wealth of trade capital makes them a favorite to land Panarin. And if Panarin wants a solid chance at being on a team that makes a deep playoff run, the Canes should be an attractive option for him.

Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill always seems to find a way to make notable additions and somehow keep his core intact. Last season, he acquired Mikko Rantanen – and this season, after the unfortunate injury to Stars veteran Tyler Seguin, Dallas has a notable opening for a star like Panarin.

The Stars are in a no-tax state, and that likely makes them very appealing to Panarin. Considering that Dallas is the second-best team in the league at the moment, Panarin could see them as his best option to win a Stanley Cup.

Dallas has $3.3-million in cap space to play with, so there would have to be a major salary sent the Rangers’ way in any Panarin trade.

With that, there are plenty of young and enticing players for Drury to pursue on the Stars' roster, and who knows what Panarin could fetch the Rangers in a potential trade.

The Florida Panthers suffered a massive blow at the start of the year with the season-ending injury to captain and center Aleksander Barkov. But with Barkov and star left winger Matthew Tkachuk both on long-term injured reserve, Florida has $27.4-million in projected playoff cap space.

And Panarin’s countryman and old teammate with the Columbus Blue Jackets – star goalie Sergei Bobrovsky – can sell him on the joys of playing in Florida.

Like Nill, Panthers GM Bill Zito also seems to find a way to add veteran talent every year. Last season, it was veteran defenseman Seth Jones and star left winger Brad Marchand who were acquired before the trade deadline. So you have to believe Zito has someone who fits Panarin’s profile in his sights.

What would the Panthers have to trade to Drury in exchange for Panarin? They’d have to start with a first-round draft pick, and Florida only has one of those – their first-rounder in 2028.

But what about young right winger Mackie Samoskevich? He had 15 goals last season for Florida, and at 23 years old, he’s only scratching the surface of what he’s capable of.

The Panthers would have to add a lot more talent to make a Panarin trade work, but you underestimate Zito at your peril, and Florida could once again land a big fish by or before the trade deadline.

The Minnesota Wild spent much of their trade capital on the Quinn Hughes trade, but GM Bill Guerin is clearly going all-in this year.

Acquiring Panarin to play alongside fellow Russian star Kirill Kaprizov would give the Wild the ammunition they’re going to need to get past the Stars and Colorado Avalanche in the Central Division.

Minnesota is projected to have $21.3 million in playoff cap space, so trading for Panarin makes a lot of sense. Guerin is going to have to be creative to figure out a trade package that would work for Drury, but necessity is the mother of invention, and the Wild could get a third team involved in a trade for Panarin that satisfies all parties.

The Wild are projected to have $13.7 million in cap space next season, so in theory, Minnesota has enough space to pay Panarin what he’s looking for beyond this year. But they shot their shot to land Hughes, and there may not be enough in the system to get a deal done.

That said, Guerin has been taking big swings of late, and landing Panarin could be a masterstroke that’s the difference between the Wild going on a deep playoff run or being knocked out in the first round, the way they’ve been eliminated in their past eight playoff appearances.

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