Why Neil Smith believes Rangers won’t let free agent star ‘walk’
The way Artemi Panarin is playing right now, it’d be understandable if the New York Rangers wanted to lock up the pending unrestricted free agent with a contract extension as soon as possible.
But it’s not exactly that easy.
First off, Panarin’s current heater, nine points (three goals, six assists) in his past four games, was preceded by an exceptionally slow – -and concerning — start this season. He had seven points in 14 games before shaving his head for good luck.
“My confidence [is] OK now. “Better than before,” Panarin told the New York Post this week.
Then there are reports that extension talks already fizzled this fall, with term and dollar value value unsurprisingly at the heart of the issues. Panarin reportedly is not planning on giving the Rangers a discount to stay on Broadway — and that stance was firm even when his production wasn’t there last month.
Another key issue is Panarin’s age. He’s 34, hitting that age when potential suitors might pause from making a heavy investment in him next summer.
All that said, former Rangers general manager Neil Smith is pretty sure that Panarin ultimately remains in New York after his current massive deal — seven years, $81.5 million — expires July 1. His reasoning is simple and based on history.
“I don’t think the Rangers will let him walk. They just don’t let star players walk,” Smith told Forever Blueshirts on the Rink Rap podcast.
Of course, much has changed in the 25 years since Smith was the Blueshirts’ top executive, mainly the implementation of the NHL salary cap. But the Rangers do love their stars, no doubt about that. And Panarin, their leading scorer each of the past six seasons and again with 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) so far in 2025-26, is a big-time star.
So, there’s value to Smith’s insight. But he raises serious questions, as well.
“Should they let him walk is another question. Are they ever going to win with him? That’s another question,” Smith offered. “But will they re-sign him and he does not walk away? I think they do. That would be my bet, that they do re-sign him.”
Rangers, Artemi Panarin willing to move slowly with free agency looming
One of the major rubs against Panarin is that he doesn’t produce at nearly the same rate in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Though he does have a pair of iconic overtime goals from New York’s runs to the 2022 and 2024 Eastern Conference Finals, Panarin has 21 goals and 61 points in 71 career postseason games with the Rangers, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Chicago Blackhawks.
Panarin averages better than a point per game (1.15), with 886 points in 770 regular-season games.
Matt Larkin from Daily Faceoff weighed in on the Panarin topic and is most concerned about declining play moving forward for the top-line wing, who’s coming off a four-point game in the Rangers’ 7-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday.
“And from Rangers GM Chris Drury’s perspective, would it be risky to re-sign a declining Panarin?,” Larking wrote. “It might make more sense to cash him out for a major haul approaching the 2026 Trade Deadline.”
For those counting, that’s four months until the trade deadline. Four months to determine a next step with Panarin.
The free-agent market is thinning next offseason. Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Kiril Kaprizov, Martin Necas, and Kyle Connor are among the stars who re-signed with their current teams already. That leaves Adrian Kempe of the Los Angeles Kings and Panarin as the clear top two players available next summer. Even approaching his age-35 season, the dollars could be there for Panarin.
By all accounts, both Panarin and Rangers GM Chris Drury are willing to let this play out. Neither is panicking nor in a rush to make a decision one way or the other.
For now, each side is thrilled that the Breadman regained his scoring touch and that the Rangers (9-7-2) collectively are finding their footing after tough first month of the season, that included five shutout defeats on home ice.
