Dennis Schneidler-Imagn ImagesThe New York Rangers’ 5-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Wednesday night was overshadowed by news that proceeded to come out before the game even starting.
Just about an hour before puck drop at UBS Arena, word came out that Artemi Panarin would be held out of the lineup due to roster management, and he won’t play in any games before the Olympic break, beginning on Feb. 5.
Everybody has known that it was just a matter of time before Panarin gets traded, as Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury reportedly held an individual meeting with Panarin shortly before releasing a letter outlining the team’s intentions to retool, and informed him that the Rangers do not plan to re-sign him past this season and will look to trade him to anywhere he wishes to go.
However, Panarin had remained in the lineup leading up to Wednesday, and it appears as if the decision to hold him out was made just hours before the game, to the surprise of many of the players.
“Yeah it was a little weird, with how it happened later in the day and he’s not here,” Vincent Trocheck said of Panarin’s absence. “It’s a weird feeling. Obviously, like I said before, we know what a situation like this brings, and for me personally, it being a guy like Bread, who I’ve become extremely close with over the last four years and was lucky enough to play with, it's been a huge blessing for me. I've learned a ton from him. Yeah, it's tough whether it's a game day or not a game day.”
Although Panarin hasn’t officially been traded yet, Wednesday night felt like the closing of a chapter for the Rangers organization, a chapter that started in 2019 when the Rangers signed Panarin to a 7-year, $81 million contract.
In all likelihood, the 34-year-old has played his last game in a Blueshirts sweater.
In 482 games with the Rangers, Panarin has recorded 205 goals, 402 assists, and 607 points, while also helping lead the team to the Eastern Conference Final twice.
“Bread is a terrific player and a great teammate,” Mike Sullivan said. “He's one of the best Rangers of his generation. He's not an easy guy to replace when he’s not in the lineup, but everybody understands it, and we're going to control what we can.”
Panarin was not the first and likely won’t be the last player to be yanked out of the lineup due to roster management.
Just 48 hours ago, Carson Soucy was scratched from Monday’s matchup against the Boston Bruins, and by the end of the night, he was traded to the Islanders.
Over the past year and a half, we’ve seen the dismantling of the Rangers’ core. Now up until the March 6th NHL Trade Deadline, we’ll see the continuation of this teardown, with players falling like dominoes, getting taken away piece by piece in an effort to go through with the retool plan outlined by Drury in his Jan. 16th letter.
Drury’s warning to fans that they may have to say “goodbye to players that have brought us and our fans great moments over the years” is being put into action.
The reality of the situation is staring every player directly in the face and looming over the team like a dark cloud.
“You can't look at it like that,” Trocheck said about whether he’s trying to savor every moment with this team before being broken up. “You can't go about your day being scared of what's going to happen next. You got to, like you said, embrace every moment that you have together, and love everybody in this locker room and cherish every second that we have together, every time we're on the ice together.”