New York Rangers winger Artemi Panarin and Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson are the top two players in next summer's free-agent market, and they're topics of speculation.
The Los Angeles Kings' signing of Adrian Kempe to a long-term contract extension earlier this week further depleted the top talent in next summer's NHL UFA pool.
Kempe joins Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid, Minnesota Wild left winger Kirill Kaprizov, Winnipeg Jets left winger Kyle Connor, Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel and Colorado Avalanche right winger Martin Necas among the stars who've opted to remain with their current teams.
That leaves Artemi Panarin sitting atop Sportsnet's Luke Fox's list of players eligible for UFA status on July 1. The 34-year-old New York Rangers left winger is finishing a seven-year contract with an annual cap hit of $11.64 million.
Fox indicated that Panarin has no interest in accepting a pay cut to stay in New York despite his age and declining stats. Meanwhile, the Rangers aren't keen to have a high-salaried player on their roster well into his late 30s.
The Rangers will likely hang onto Panarin if they're holding a playoff berth by the March 6 NHL trade deadline. If not, they will likely entertain trade offers. Fox's colleague Nick Kypreos suggested the Carolina Hurricanes and Minnesota Wild as potential destinations for Panarin.
The Hurricanes made a big move last season by acquiring Mikko Rantanen from the Avalanche last January. However, they traded him to the Dallas Stars before the deadline when he wouldn't agree to a contract extension. They might be reluctant to pursue Panarin merely as a rental player, but they could prefer that he accept less money on a shorter deal.
As for the Wild, Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic aren't convinced they'll pursue Panarin at the trade deadline. Russo doesn't see the sense of giving up assets when they could sign him on July 1 as a free agent. Smith doesn't think the aging winger is the right fit for the Wild in their quest to become a Stanley Cup contender.
Rasmus Andersson of the Calgary Flames sits second on Fox's list. The 29-year-old defenseman is in the final season of a five-year contract with an average annual value of $4.55 million. Fox indicated that Andersson hasn't closed the door on re-signing with the Flames, but their struggles this season suggest he'll be moving on.
Fox felt the Golden Knights seemed the prime landing spot for Andersson. They have the advantage of playing in a no-tax state, and could use a replacement for sidelined blueliner Alex Pietrangelo. However, Fox noted that they've got limited salary-cap space.
The Golden Knights could find a way to free up cap room to add Andersson's remaining cap hit within their payroll, perhaps by requesting the Flames retain half of it to make the dollars fit. However, the real sticking point is whether the Golden Knights have sufficient tradeable assets to win a bidding war for Andersson's services.
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