Rangers running out of time to trade Artemi Panarin before NHL roster freeze
Despite “a range of interest” from teams around the NHL, it remains unclear if the New York Rangers will be able to trade Artemi Panarin before the NHL roster freeze begins Wednesday afternoon.
“That remains the Rangers intention to find Artemi Panarin a new home before 3 p.m. ET Wednesday, but whether or not that happens isn’t entirely clear,” TSN’s Chris Johnston reported on the latest edition of Insider Trading.
Then on Wednesday morning, Johnston added this on TSN: “A lot has to come together in the last few hours, but I can tell you that between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning those talks do continue and there is hope they can find a resolution before the trade freeze kicks in.”
Though all sides prefer a resolution sooner rather than later, Panarin holds the cards here. First, the 34-year-old pending unrestricted free agent has a no-movement clause in his current contract. So, he goes nowhere without signing off on a trade first.
Second, Panarin wants a contract extension as part of any trade. So, yeah, this is quite the needle to thread for Rangers general manager Chris Drury and his counterparts from interested teams.
“A key part of getting this deal done is actually agreeing to a contract extension. There’s a range of where teams are willing to go. I’ve heard of at least one team who’s put at least $40 million on the table for Panarin,” Johnston explained. “But it’s not until he signals to the Rangers that he’s found the right situation for himself that that could go forward.”
Panarin reportedly seeks a $50 million “home run” package in a contract extension. If true, that limits the amount of suitors even more.
There are rumors that the Washington Capitals are one team that put forth an aggressive contract extension offer. But we have no idea if Panarin is interested in the Capitals. Everyone is trying to connect the dots, but Panarin, his agent Paul Theofanous, and the Rangers have done a fairly remarkable job not leaking any information during this process.
As for the timing of any trade — and, yes, Panarin will be traded, make no mistake — that’s not clear. If there’s no deal before 3 p.m. Wednesday, everyone must cool their jets until Feb. 23 when the roster freeze is over after the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics. The drop-dead date to keep in mind i the March 6 NHL Trade Deadline.
“It’s going to be a chaotic 12 days,” TSN hockey insider Darren Dreger said about the time after the roster freeze and the trade deadline.
Rangers may not be only team quiet on trade front before roster freeze
Though the Panarin situation is a unique one ahead of the roster freeze, the Rangers aren’t the only NHL team that may not make any moves Wednesday.
“I checked in with 15 NHL teams on Tuesday and I can tell you the majority thought they would be quiet ahead of the trade freeze. Obviously, that changes with one phone call,” Pierre LeBrun said on Insider Trading. “Only a couple teams saying they were trying to get something going. But the vast majority felt they needed the Olympic break to see where they were in the standings to further some of those trade conversations.”
That provides a window into possible suitors for Panarin too. After all, this isn’t just about what the Rangers want, and what Panarin desires. It must make sense for at least one other team, too. So this deadline may be just too tight get a Panarin deal — as well as other possible trades — done.
“But as one GM said to me, we can’t make a trade during the Olympic freeze, but there’s no freeze on our conversations. So, he expected some of those talks to continue throughout the Olympics,” LeBrun added.
Patience is key here. For the Rangers. For Drury. For Panarin. For other teams. This first deadline is just that, a first deadline. Not a final one.
Stay tuned.
