What’s the hold up on the New York Rangers signing Artemi Panarin to a contract extension?
We are seeing all of these superstar players sign massive contract extensions, including Connor McDavid, Kirill Kaprizov, Jack Eichel, and many more, but Panarin’s future remains in doubt.
According to NHL insider Pierre LeBrun, the Rangers are in no rush to strike a deal, with the team taking a patient approach.
“But for the moment, my sense of the situation is that it’s very early in the season under new head coach Mike Sullivan, the Rangers want to see how things go and therefore are not in a hurry to get going more seriously on talks to extend the pending UFA winger,” Lebrun wrote.
Pabarin’s age makes these negotiations a bit more complicated. Lebrun emphasized that while Panarin’s camp is likely looking for a long-extention since it very well could be his lost contract of his career, a short-term deal is likely the Rangers’ preference.
The 34-year-old forward still showed he could produce at a high level, as he’s coming off of an 89-point season, but all reports indicate the Rangers are wary of committing to a long-term contract extension.