Why Artemi Panarin contract talks with Rangers could get more complicated
Let’s start with this. Neither the New York Rangers nor their star forward Artemi Panarin have said anything of substance publicly about contract talks.
Panarin is due to become an unrestricted free agent July 1, when his current seven-year, $81.5 million contract expires. It should be noted that deal worked out for extremely well for both sides. Panarin takes home a robust $11.643 million annually. And he’s been pretty much worth every penny, leading the Rangers in scoring each of his first six seasons with them.
But they’re are a slew of complicating factors to work through moving forward if Panarin’s going to continue playing for the Rangers past this season.
To begin, let’s combine two of them. Panarin turns 34 on Oct. 30, and is off to the least productive start of his Rangers tenure.
He’s without a goal for a team desperately in need of scoring through six games. It’s early, but the Rangers are 2-3-1 almost exclusively because they aren’t finishing, sitting on 11 goals total, so far, and in the midst of an historic drought on home ice — scoreless in their first three games at Madison Square Garden.
If ever the Rangers needed the Breadman to produce, it’s now. But he’s sitting on a goose egg, with no goals on 13 shots (and just two assists). Panarin did miss the entire preseason due a pair of injuries and doesn’t look quite right. However, he’s still averaging 21:09 TOI, more than any other Rangers forward.
So, yeah, that’s a bit concerning for the Rangers. Especially when they consider making another financial commitment to Panarin as he hits his mid-30s, as part of a core that also includes J.T. Miller, Mika Zibanejad, and Vincent Trocheck, each of whom will be 33 next season and is signed long term.
“You need to think about the future, and if you want to still build around these core guys that you’ve had,” SiriusXM NHL Network Radio host Ryan Paton told Forever Blueshirts on the Rink Rap podcast. “And it’s a young person’s game. Every year it gets faster. Every year it gets more skilled. I’m not saying Panarin can’t keep up — he’s a very, very good hockey player — but he’s 33 and he’ll be 34 next season. You can’t stop the age factor.”
Panarin’s been extremely durable and consistent throughout his 11-year NHL career with the Rangers, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Chicago Blackhawks. And he had 37 goals and 89 points last season, one year after recording 120 points, second-most in franchise history. So, he certainly gets the benefit of the doubt after only six games this season. But the concerns are valid.
“He’s started slowly, and you just wonder where this (the contract talks) is all going to go,” added NHL insider Elliotte Friedman.
‘It’s going to be a big number’ for Rangers to re-sign Artemi Panarin
That leads us to the issues surrounding the actual nuts and bolts of a possible deal. Paton believes that Panarin won’t take a lower AAV than his current contract, meaning that $12 million per year could be a starting point. It’d likely be much higher if he was younger.
But then again, with Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Kirill Kaprizov and Kyle Connor having already re-signed with their respective teams, Panarin might be the crown jewel of the 2026 NHL free agent class, despite his age. Can you say bidding war?
Friedman reported that the Rangers were rebuffed by Panarin when they suggested a similar team-friendly contract extension to the one Anze Kopitar signed with the Los Angeles Kings in 2023 (two years, $14 million).
“We already know they went to him and asked ‘Are you willing to take a Kopitar-kind of deal?’ And the answer was no,” Friedman explained on Sportsnet 590 The FAN earlier this week. “So, you know it’s going to be a big number if you’re keeping him.”
How big is that number? Friedman won’t hazard a guess. But he does believe that term is the biggest factor for the Rangers, especially with the NHL salary cap rising significantly in the coming years.
“To me, I think the question solely is: what Panarin is asking for, whatever that is, do the Rangers think it makes sense based on his play?,” he said. “It’s obvious, that they prefer him on a short-term deal. Because remember, Kopitar got 2×7, and I don’t know that’s what they pitched [Panarin] on, but it was that kind of philosophy. To me, if you’re asking if they see him in a 3-4 year deal, I’d say a thousand percent, they’d do it.”
This isn’t a decision that the Rangers can push off until after the season. But it’s not just their call here.
“My hunch, and that’s only what it is as nobody is offering inside information on this topic, is that Panarin will not re-sign during the season,” Dan Rosen wrote in an NHL.com column.
So, yes, rock meet hard place, if you’re the Rangers.
Right now, the short-term goal — pardon the pun — is to get Panarin scoring goals and for the Rangers to bank points in the standings.
The rest? Yes, it’s complicated.
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