Ducks reportedly eyeing star winger. Rangers seeking a substantial return, with a specific trade setting the price for the coveted forward.
The NHL will freeze rosters on Feb. 4, ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, and they’ll unfreeze on Feb. 22, meaning teams will be unable to execute trades or other transactions during that two-and-a-half-week stretch.
Many close to team operations suggest the Feb. 4 date could be used as a “mini trade deadline,” ahead of the real NHL trade deadline on Friday, March 6. The landscape in the NHL this season is vastly different from most due to almost all 32 teams remaining in a playoff race to varying degrees.
The only two teams to have, in any shape or form, declared themselves “sellers” this season are the Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers. The Rangers sent out a statement to fans and followers that they’re to enter a “retool” period with their franchise and make significant changes to their current roster.
Rangers star winger Artemi Panarin (34) has been told that the organization has no intention of offering him a contract extension, and they’d be willing to work with him to find him a new team via in-season trade.
Premier NHL insider Elliotte Friedman mentioned the Anaheim Ducks as a team that’s “looking around” at Panarin on his “Saturday Headlines” TV hit and that the current asking price is what the New York Islanders received when they sent center Brock Nelson to the Colorado Avalanche at the 2025 trade deadline.
Brock Neslson was traded along with William Dufour to Colorado in exchange for Calum Ritchie, Oliver Kylington, a 2026 first-round pick, and a conditional 2028 third. The conditions were not met, so the Islanders will keep that third-round pick.
“(Panarin) is the name everyone is kind of focused on right now,” Friedman said. “It sounds like (the Nelson trade) is where the Rangers’ starting point is with Panarin right now. Part of this is also, will he be willing to sign an extension?
He has a no-move clause, so he controls where he goes. Some of the teams that are looking around: Anaheim. Panarin has a history with Joel Quenneville.”
Friedman also mentioned the Los Angeles Kings and Washington Capitals as potentially interested teams.
Panarin is in the final year of a seven-year contract that carries an AAV of $11.6 million. His deal also includes a full no-move clause, which essentially allows him to handpick his destination and could drive his acquisition cost down.
If the Anaheim Ducks are involved, they’d likely want some sort of guarantee that he’d sign an extension, as their season could very much end with them not qualifying for the playoffs, and if they do, it’s unlikely they’d be serious Stanley Cup contenders.
Brad Penner-Imagn ImagesNHL insider Frank Seravalli appeared on Sportsnet’s “Real Kyper & Bourne” show and revealed Panarin’s desired term for said extension.
“I think there’s a number of teams that are looking at this situation, going, ‘Hmm, I don’t know if we’re in it for the long haul with Panarin,’ and by long haul, I mean legitimately that,” Seravalli said. “The belief is around the league that Panarin is looking for a longer-term deal, potentially even one that takes him to 40.”
The Ducks have nearly $26 million in current cap space and a projected $39 million in cap space for the 2026-27 season. Ryan Poehling, Jacob Trouba, and Radko Gudas will be unrestricted free agents come July 1, while Cutter Gauthier, Leo Carlsson, Ian Moore, Pavel Mintyukov, and Olen Zellweger will become restricted free agents.
That projected cap space could disappear quickly, but the Ducks could still likely fit Panarin’s potential extension under the 2026-27 ceiling. The question then becomes one of cost and fit.
As mentioned, the acquisition cost may be depressed due to limited options, and even if Panarin gets his desired six-year term, he’ll likely require north of $10 million in AAV. If the Ducks were to match the Rangers’ ask for him, Anaheim would send a first-round pick to New York along with a player or prospect of similar value to Ritchie (Tristan Luneau, Stian Solberg, or Olen Zellweger).
On paper, a 35 to 40-year-old Artemi Panarin doesn’t quite align with the Ducks’ perceived “contending window,” as his best years are likely behind him. However, he’s produced 926 points (321-605=926) in 803 career NHL games and has scored over a point-per-game every season since his first two in the NHL (2015-16 and 2016-17), where he scored 77 and 74 points, respectively. On the last-place team in the Eastern Conference in 2025-26, he’s again tallied 56 points (19-37=56) in 51 games. Though he eventually will, it doesn’t seem like he’s slowing down just yet.
Though the ideal scenario would be for the Ducks to acquire a “prime-aged” star player (roughly 24-27) who does fit their window, Panarin would, in theory, stabilize a clearly volatile young core, aid in rehabilitating their struggling power play, as well as buoy, nurture, and enhance the potential of the team’s youngest and most talented players.
Most insiders and speculators are theorizing that Ducks' general manager, Pat Verbeek, is looking to take a “big swing” to improve his roster this season or over the summer. We’ll soon discover if Panarin will represent that swing and if he’ll rejoin former teammates Trouba, Ryan Strome, Frank Vatrano, Chris Kreider, and his first NHL coach, Joel Quenneville, in Anaheim.