Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn ImagesThe aftermath of life without Artemi Panarin for the New York Rangers has officially begun.
On Wednesday, the Rangers traded Artemi Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Liam Greentree and a conditional third and fourth-round pick.
The dust has settled, and the mood around the team is more of a feeling of relief, as they’ve already processed all emotions about Panarin leaving once he was held out of the lineup last week due to roster management, so this deal was more of a formality.
“I just think finality of it is finally here,” Mike Sullivan said of the Panarin trade. “Sometimes just the anxiety of the uncertainty is more difficult to deal with than the finality of it. Everyone can move on.”
Sullivan confirmed that he had a conversation with Panarin once the trade was completed on Wednesday.
The Rangers didn’t receive anyone in return for Panarin who will immediately slot into the team’s lineup, which obviously hinders them even further.
Where do the Rangers go from here without Panarin?
“We’re not going to plug a player in who’s going to replace what Artemi did for this team,” Sullivan said. “I think what we're trying to do is build a team game where we can replace it by committee, so to speak. We're not plugging anybody in and saying, ‘hey, you’re going to replace what Artemi has brought for this group.’ That would be unfair just because of how unique his ability is. We are going to try to build a team game that can replace the overall contribution that Bread brings.”
Reaching the playoffs will be a nearly impossible task for the Blueshirts at this point given they are 19 points out of the second wild-card spot and have committed themselves to this retooling process.
It’s difficult to assess Mike Sullivan’s performance as a coach this season because of the situation he walked into.
The Rangers were already a sinking ship on its way to hitting rock bottom before the season even began after a disastrous 2024-25 campaign.
While not fully expecting this outcome, from a common-sense standpoint, Sullivan partly knew what he was getting himself into.
“I knew where the group was at just the core group, as far as where they are in their respective careers, and in the opportunity to be competitive, and where it's at,” Sullivan said. “Did I anticipate it? Did I anticipate us being here this year? No.”
There’s no denying that Sullivan was brought in and made the highest-paid coach in NHL history to help bring the best out of this aging core, and it hasn’t gone quite as planned, which Sullivan takes accountability for.
“Given the circumstance that we're in, I think we all have to own it,” Sullivan emphasized. “I think it starts with me. I got to do a better job at coaching these guys and put these guys in positions to be successful. We're not in a position that we had hoped. We all have to take responsibility for that. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't look at myself and say, ‘How can I do a better job in coaching this group to try to try to get more favorable results?’’’