Elliotte Friedman Draws Intriguing Connection Between Flyers and Artemi Panarin

If the Philadelphia Flyers are even entertaining internal discussions about New York Rangers winger Artemi Panarin, one thing is for certain: it shouldn't be because they suddenly feel the urge to chase star power for its own sake.

The Flyers are at one of those uncomfortable organizational inflection points where restraint becomes harder than action, and where every option has consequences that extend well beyond this season.

Elliotte Friedman’s recent comments on 32 Thoughts are what pushed the idea into the public consciousness, making a concrete link between Panarin and the Flyers that had not really previously cropped up in conversations about where Panarin could potentially land.

“And you know, I look at Philly right now and they’re falling back," he said. "Between now and the end of the season, if they’re not battling for the playoffs, and I’m sure they’re not waving the white flag yet, but the one thing I think they have to do over the Olympic break is talk about the last six weeks of the season. ‘How are we getting Michkov going? How are we making sure that he finished the season feeling good about himself?’ Because right now that’s not happening. And I think that’s your only priority.

"Well, and I think that’s your biggest priority outside of a miracle run to get to the postseason. I think that’s your biggest priority [is] Michkov finishing strong. To me, I wonder can Philly make this deal and if not, are they hoping that somehow Panarin gets to the open market? Seems unlikely but I put Philly in there because they would have gone after Kaprizov and maybe they feel they need Panarin.”

Friedman isn't saying that the Flyers are frontrunners to get the 34-year-old Russian winger, but he brings up an interesting point as to why Danny Briere might make a call. Besides Panarin's experience and playing abilities, he might be able to serve a purpose in the larger goal of getting Michkov out of the slight sophomore slump he's been in.

The Kaprizov reference is another interesting inclusion. The Flyers apparently did inquire for him before Kaprizov re-signed his record-breaking contract with the Minnesota Wild in September 2025 (as, you can imagine, most other teams did). However, that signaled that Philadelphia is not philosophically opposed to acquiring elite forwards. What they are opposed to—at least publicly and consistently—is making deals that solve one problem by creating two more down the line.

Panarin forces that tension into the open.

From a purely hockey standpoint, the appeal is obvious. Panarin is a reliable driver of offense. He tilts the ice, elevates linemates, and generates scoring at a rate few wingers can still match. For a team wrestling with how to best support Matvei Michkov, the fit looks almost too clean. Panarin would immediately command defensive attention, lighten Michkov’s burden at five-on-five, and provide a stabilizing offensive reference point that young players often struggle to create on their own.

But the Flyers’ decision-making calculus no longer starts with “Does this help us score more goals?” It starts with asset management.

Panarin turns 35 this year. Any acquiring team would be doing so with full knowledge that this is a declining-asset contract, even if the decline hasn’t necessarily arrived yet. Aging curves for wingers—particularly those whose value is tied to puck control and offensive creativity—are unforgiving. The Flyers would almost certainly need to extend him, and while they would have the cap space to do so (along with the Rangers allegedly being open to retain some of Panarin's salary)...well, just because you can doesn't mean you should.

The Flyers have spent the last few seasons rebuilding something they did not previously have: financial and structural flexibility. Long-term, high-AAV commitments to players on the back half of their careers are precisely the kind of deals that erase that flexibility.

Going back to Kaprizov, the 28-year-old, however unrealistic that deal might have been, aligned with the Flyers’ competitive window. Panarin does not. One is an asset whose value is likely to hold or appreciate; the other is an asset whose value begins depreciating the moment the deal is signed. 

There are, of course, reasons the Flyers could make it work. They have cap space. They have movable wingers that would interest a Rangers front office attempting to retool without detonating the roster (Owen Tippett and Bobby Brink would both make sense in that context). 

There is also a personal connection: Panarin’s father-in-law, Oleg Znarok, works within the Flyers organization as a team consultant. These things obviously don’t drive deals on their own, but they lubricate conversations.

Still, the competitive landscape matters. The Flyers would not be bidding in a vacuum. Contending teams can justify paying a premium that Philadelphia likely cannot, or should not, match. For a team still oscillating between development and contention, the downside risk of such a move is disproportionately high.

There is also the opportunity-cost question. Acquiring Panarin doesn’t simply add a scorer; it reshapes internal hierarchies. Power-play usage, late-game deployment, and top-six minutes would almost immediately consolidate around him. If the main purpose of taking on Panarin is to help Michkov, it's just not worth the recalibrating. 

And then there is the off-ice component, which no front office can ignore. Panarin was accused of sexual assault in December 2023 after an incident involving a female team employee. In August 2024, a settlement was reached between the former employee, Panarin, and Madison Square Garden Sports, including a non-disclosure clause and no admission of wrongdoing.

From a business perspective, this introduces reputational risk, something organizations now factor into decisions as seriously as cap hit or term. For a franchise emphasizing culture stability during a reset, that risk is part of the cost-benefit analysis.

All of this leads back to Danny Brière’s stated philosophy. He has been consistent, almost stubbornly so, about avoiding reactive, short-term fixes. The Flyers are not trying to shortcut the process, even when the process becomes uncomfortable. A Panarin trade would represent a significant deviation from that approach, not because it lacks upside, but because it compresses timelines and reduces future leverage.

In that sense, Panarin is less a target than a diagnostic tool. His name exposes the Flyers’ current dilemma: how to support their most important young player without compromising the very structure designed to make that support sustainable.

Unless the Flyers decide that accelerating relevance is worth sacrificing optionality, Panarin feels more like a thought exercise than an actionable plan—a reminder of how thin the line is between a disciplined rebuild and a tempting, expensive detour.