Why Rangers won’t get ‘king’s ransom’ in possible Artemi Panarin trade
When it comes to pending unrestricted free agent Artemi Panarin, one of the options for the New York Rangers is to move their leading scorer ahead of the NHL trade deadline on March 6.
In fact, many believe that’s the best course of action for the Rangers, since it would help them continue to turn over their core and restock the roster at the same time.
It sounds like a good plan in theory. But NHL Network host E.J. Hradek tossed cold water on oversized expectations if the Rangers trade the dynamic forward.
“My message to Rangers fans, if [the Rangers] decide to trade him, don’t expect you’re going to get a king’s ransom for him,” Hradek told Forever Blueshirts on the RINK RAP podcast.
Hradek acknowledged that Panarin could be the most coveted forward on the open market next summer. But his age (34), salary ($11.643 million salary cap hit), and no-movement clause really limit where the Rangers could trade him during the season, and, as such, what they’d fetch in return.
“Fans always think, ‘Hey we’re going to trade Panarin, we’ll get a top prospect, we’ll get a first-round pick, we’ll get another good player.’ It usually doesn’t work out that way,” he explained. “Usually you’ll get a first-round pick if a team trades for him, and that team’s usually pretty good, so that means you get a pick that’s somewhere between 20 and 32. Then from a list of prospects you’ll probably get to take a prospect, and it’s usually not the top prospect. It’s usually a B prospect. And then you get a player, or maybe a conditional pick if the guy re-signs with that team. That’s kind of the model.”
It’s not nothing, though, and nothing is what the Rangers receive if they keep Panarin and he signs with another team during the offseason. That’d be a bitter pill to swallow.
The most recent example of a veteran star player traded ahead of the deadline is Brad Marchand. Like Panarin, Marchand held most of the cards and dictated where he would go. So, the Boston Bruins accepted a conditional second-round pick for their captain in a trade with the Florida Panthers — one that worked out quite nicely for the Panthers, who went on to win their second straight Stanley Cup championship last spring.
“Trading him at the deadline, that’s always tricky, especially with guys that are older. Now, we saw Brad Marchand (then 36) get moved last year, right? I think Panarin’s got more offensive upside than Marchand had last year at the same time. But Marchand had some intangibles that I think are more valuable, probably to a team than Panarin. So, what did [the Bruins] get for Marchand? Not a lot.”
Marchand’s not only a highly-skilled player and proven point producer, but he’s willing to grind and play a hard 200-foot game. His will to win is recognized and respected around the League. Plus, he already had a championship on his resume, helping the Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 2011.
These are intangibles the more skilled Panarin doesn’t possess. He is, though, a game-breaker, one who scored 49 goals and 120 points just two seasons ago. And he again leads the Rangers with 13 goals and 36 points in 37 games this season. Simply, the Rangers lineup is not a pretty picture without Panarin.
Rangers ‘know where they stand [with Artemi Panarin] in terms of two things’
Much of what Hradek provides here is educated speculation. That’s because he doesn’t know what the Rangers plans are for the player, nor how Panarin views his future. Reportedly, Panarin turned down a team-friendly extension offer from the Rangers earlier this season.
“We don’t know,” Hradek mused. “Do [the Rangers] really want to keep him, and where are the negotiations? Panarin’s representatives want him to get paid. I don’t think they’re taking any John Tavares $4 million per year deal. I don’t think that’s in the works for Artemi Panarin.
“[The Rangers] know where they stand in terms of two things: they know where they stand in terms of the negotiation, how it looks, and they know what they rally want to do anyway.”
Sometime over the next 10 weeks, we’ll get at least some clarity on Panarin, because March 6 is a set deadline. Keep him and re-sign him in free agency. Sign him to an extension before the trade deadline. Trade him before the deadline. Keep him and chance losing him for nothing in the offseason.
“If all goes well, I think you end up just keeping him and seeing where things go in the postseason,” Hraden said in conclusion, supporting the argument that Panarin and the Rangers could make a run in the watered down Eastern Conference, especially with Igor Shesterkin as their goalie.
We’ll know soon enough.
