NHL
According to hockey insider Elliotte Friedman, Blue Jackets forward Artemi Panarin has told the team he does not want to sign a contract extension after the season. As a result, Friedman says, the Blue Jackets are testing the trade market for the young forward.
https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1009138149824421888
Assuming this is true, Panarin would join Islanders forward John Tavares as the biggest names this summer around the NHL. Panarin is a sniper of the highest-caliber and made a name for himself when he scored 77 points (30G, 44A) during his rookie year with the Chicago Blackhawks.
With Panarin essentially asking to be traded, his value may have dropped a little, but he will certainly garner a huge return for the Blue Jackets. If he is dealt before the season starts, I don’t see him going to a divisional rival like the Rangers. The Rangers do have assets to move like Mats Zuccarello and some draft picks, but I do not seeing that as being enough to bring in Panarin.
I highly doubt he gets moved, and if so the cost would be too high to an interdivisional rival like the #NYR https://t.co/B4N6QdPhfy
— Forever Blueshirts (@4EverBlueshirts) June 19, 2018