The pending Rangers sell-off is really about to take off now.
Two days after making their first retooling trade of the regular season, the Rangers held leading scorer Artemi Panarin out of Wednesday’s 5-2 road loss to the Islanders for “roster management,” The Post’s Mollie Walker reported about an hour before puck drop on social media.
The star winger will not play in the team’s final three games before the NHL’s upcoming break next week either as general manager Chris Drury looks to finalize a trade.
“Obviously, Bread is a terrific player and a great teammate, and he’s good friends with a lot of the guys that are in that dressing room. So that has an impact on guys,” Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said about Panarin’s absence following the loss at UBS Arena, their third straight to the Isles this season. “I thought our guys did a great job, just as far as controlling what they can and bringing the right intentions out there.
“But obviously he’s one of the best Rangers of his generation, and he’s not an easy guy to replace. … It forces all of us to look in the mirror and try to figure out how we can all do a better job.”
Drury informed Panarin before his Jan. 16 letter to fans that the 34-year-old — a pending unrestricted free agent after his seven-year, $81 million deal signed as a free agent in 2019 expires this summer — would not be re-signed by the organization after extension talks went nowhere and they had “extremely candid” conversations.
“It’s hard to say how I feel. I’m still confused, but the GM decided to go in a different direction. I’m OK with that,” Panarin said earlier this month while promising “to give 100 percent in every game.” Panarin must approve any trade because of a full no-movement clause.
Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller also are among those with no-movement clauses, but more deals are sure to follow ahead of the March 6 trade deadline, with the Rangers entering Wednesday’s game with the worst record in the Eastern Conference. But NHL rosters will be frozen from Feb. 4 through the Olympic break.
Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin waits for the puck to drop against the Bruins. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
“I think no matter the circumstance, it’s always a weird feeling when you play with someone for so long and then they’re not in the lineup,” Zibanejad said. “It’s different, but we have to keep playing.”
Drury already has made one trade this week, sending veteran defenseman Carson Soucy to the Islanders for a 2026 third-round pick, meaning his first two games with his new team will come against the team that just traded him. The teams also will meet in the second half of back-to-back games Thursday night at the Garden.
Panarin leads the Rangers with 57 points in 57 games this season, and his 19 goals rank second on the team behind Zibanejad’s 22. He also recently had a 10-game point streak with five goals and 18 points but the Rangers have registered just three wins over their past 15 games (3-10-2) under Sullivan to fall out of playoff contention. They also missed the playoffs one year ago under since-fired coach Peter Laviolette.
Artemi Panarin #10 of the New York Rangers skates against the Boston Bruins. Getty Images
Soucy said Wednesday morning that he and his former teammates knew trades likely were on the way, and he thanked Drury for doing him “a favor” by allowing his young family to remain in the New York area with Monday’s deal to the Isles.
Now, Drury must work with Panarin and others on finding their next destinations.
“It’s an emotional time. Obviously I love Bread,” Vincent Trocheck said. “I’ve been lucky enough to play with him on a line for the majority of four years.
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“We don’t know what’s happening yet. … But it’s an emotional time [for the team].”