TARRYTOWN, N.Y. — With less than 24 hours remaining until the NHL’s Olympic roster freeze, which begins at 3 p.m. Wednesday and lasts until Feb. 23, all eyes around the league are on the New York Rangers.
Will they trade star winger Artemi Panarin before the freeze goes into effect? Most believe the answer is yes, but the situation is both complex and fluid.
The primary holdup is that it’s taking time for Panarin’s agent, Paul Theofanous, to sort through all of the options. Panarin holds a full no-movement clause, which gives him the power to shop around and handpick his next team. The Rangers can’t do anything until the 34-year-old winger gives them the green light.
The Rangers attempted to accelerate that process by holding Panarin out of the last three games for “roster management” purposes, but the player’s desire to sign an extension wherever he goes has slowed negotiations. He’s aiming high on what could be the final contract of his career, which adds a complicating layer for many interested teams.
As we’ve been writing for weeks, multiple league sources believe that Florida is his preferred destination. That’s an advantage for the two-time champion Panthers, as well as, it seems, the Tampa Bay Lightning. The former came up in a few conversations on Tuesday, and recent buzz has increased around the Lightning.
The problem is, the extension piece won’t come easily for either Sunshine State club. That’s not to say it’s impossible — both general managers, Bill Zito for Florida and Julien BriseBois for Tampa, have shown the ability to get creative in pursuit of what they want — but are either willing to move the mountains required to get it done? That’s a lingering question.
Other suitors believed to have been involved, namely the Carolina Hurricanes, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks and Washington Capitals, have more salary-cap flexibility. They presumably remain in the mix, but it’s less clear how keen Panarin is on going to any of those teams.
There’s a growing sense of curiosity about what Panarin will do if faced with the following choice: Sign with a team he may not feel as strongly about, or reconsider his contract stance to get to a place he really wants to be. If he warms up to the rental idea, that would create a clearer path to one of the Florida teams. It could also reintroduce a team such as the Dallas Stars, who aren’t in a position to offer an extension but have shown interest in a rental and would give Panarin a chance to chase the Stanley Cup this season.
Once Panarin makes a decision — if he hasn’t already — the baton will get passed to the Rangers to complete the deal. Team president and general manager Chris Drury will try to extract as much as he can from his counterpart, but leverage will not be in his favor, particularly if Panarin gives him only one team to work with.
The Rangers can threaten to hold onto Panarin if they don’t like the offer, which is why we can’t dismiss the possibility of this lingering beyond the Olympics. But it’s hard to imagine a scenario where that bluff isn’t called and Drury eventually takes whatever he can get. Letting this get past the March 6 NHL trade deadline without receiving anything in return for a pending free agent who everyone knows New York won’t re-sign would be an unacceptable outcome.
Both sides would surely prefer this to get done now. That would give Panarin a few weeks to get settled into his new home before the season resumes, while allowing the Rangers to shift their focus to other important pieces of business. But there are several factors in play, with nothing firm to report until Panarin says so.
