Why Artemi Panarin likely played his final game with Rangers
Artemi Panarin likely played his last game with the New York Rangers.
The superstar forward was a healthy scratch when the Rangers lost 5-2 to the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on Wednesday for “roster management purposes.” Of course, that’s a code phrase for “we plan on trading this player soon and don’t want him injured before a deal is finalized.”
It’s not known if a Panarin trade is imminent, or if the Rangers simply are playing it safe with their very valuable asset.
“‘Bread’s’ a terrific player and a great teammate,” Rangers coach Mike Sullivan explained Wednesday night. “He’s good friends with a lot of guys that are in that dressing room. That has an impact on guys. He’s one of the best Rangers of his generation. He’s not an easy guy to replace.”
After Wednesday, the Rangers play three more games before the NHL roster freeze for the Winter Olympics break on Feb 4. If not traded before then, Panarin reportedly won’t play in any of the games before rosters are frozen late next week.
Teams can begin making player transactions again after Feb 22. The NHL Trade Deadline is March 6.
The Rangers informed Panarin two weeks ago that they won’t offer him a contract extension, and plan to work with him on a trade to a destination of his choosing. The 34-year-old can become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, and has a complete no-move clause in his contract that carries an $11.64 million salary-cap hit. So, he must sign off on any trade.
Vince Mercogliano of The Athletic reported earlier Wednesday that the Rangers are allowing Panarin’s representatives to speak with interested teams about a contract extension before finalizing any trade. It’s been speculated that an extension is important to Panarin, who may prefer to move once and not twice after leaving the Rangers.
Panarin leads the Rangers this season with 57 points (19 goals, 38 assists) in 52 games. That’s not a surprise since he led the Rangers in scoring each of his first six seasons with them after signing a seven-year, $81.5 million contract as a free agent on July 1, 2019.
Since 2019-20, only five players have more points than Panarin — Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Nathan MacKinnon, David Pastrnak, and Nikita Kucherov.
Artemi Panarin outstanding Rangers career likely at the end, with trade expected soon
Panarin has 607 points (205 goals, 402 assists) in 482 regular-season games with the Rangers and his 1.26 points-per-game average is best in franchise history. He ranks eighth all-time for the Rangers in assists, ninth in points, and 14th in goals.
In 2023-24, Panarin recorded a career-high 120 points, the second most productive scoring season in Rangers history, behind Jaromir Jagr, who had 123 points in 2005-06. Panarin scored 49 goals in 2023-24, tied for fifth most in franchise history.
Assuming he won’t play again for the Rangers, Panarin’s final game with them was Monday. Panarin assisted on the game-tying goal and logged 24:15 TOI in a rousing 4-3 overtime win against the Boston Bruins at Madison Square Garden.
His departure will leave a massive void in the Rangers lineup. But, depending on the return package, it should also help usher in a new era of Blueshirts hockey.
Ironically, Panarin’s arrival on Broadway signaled a U-turn in the Rangers rebuild. Now his departure is the seminal moment in their stated retool.
The Rangers reached the Eastern Conference Final twice (in 2022 and 2024) during Panarin’s tenure in New York. They also won the Presidents’ Trophy in 2023-24 as NHL regular-season champion. However, the Rangers missed the playoffs last season and are major disappointments this season, leading to the expected sell-off.
The roster retool began Monday, when the Rangers traded Carson Soucy to the Islanders for a third-round pick in this year’s NHL Draft. The 31-year-old defenseman made his Islanders debut against the Rangers on Wednesday.
