Photo credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Artemi Panarin trade chatter now circles the Florida Panthers, and New York Rangers fans can feel the clock ticking toward the deadline.
The Rangers have made it public that Panarin will be held out of their lineup until a trade partner is found, and it appears that has just happened.
Friedman also was the first to report that Panarin’s time with the Rangers is coming to an end:
“According to several sources, before releasing the letter, Drury met individually with members of the leadership group and addressed the team as a whole. As part of this retool process, Artemi Panarin was informed that he will not be offered a contract extension, and that Drury was prepared to work with him and agent Paul Theofanous to trade the winger anywhere he wishes to go.”
Friedman grouped the suitors into buckets, and Florida landed with the clubs willing to talk terms right away.
All signs point to the California team landing the ‘Bread Man’, who has a home just outside the city of the Panthers’ arena, oddly enough.
Washington, Los Angeles, San Jose, and Detroit also made the extension-ready cut, which tells you how wide this market can get.
Still, the Panthers is the name that keeps sticking because the fit feels both obvious and messy.
Friedman said, “there’s no question that an extension matters.” He later said, I think “I think the teams that are interested in doing it are Washington, L.A., San Jose, Florida and Detroit.”
Panarin has 19-38-57 through 52 games, and he can still tilt a matchup with one touch on the man advantage.
The Rangers sitting him for roster management only pours gas on it, especially with the roster freeze ahead of the Olympic break coming Wednesday.
Florida is also the kind of team that can talk itself into one more elite player, even if the cap math hurts.
Artemi Panarin puts Florida Panthers on alert
Panthers fans would be buzzing but also bracing because this reeks of “all-in,” and nobody forgets how fast that can bite.
The financial puzzle is real, since Panarin carries an $11.6 million cap hit and controls the process with a full no-movement clause.
That usually means retention, a roster player heading back, or both, and it drags a third team into the conversation.
From a hockey angle, you can picture Panarin living on the left side, drawing defenders high, then feeding seams to the slot.
If Florida believes its window is right now, this is the type of swing that can change a playoff series in one power play.
The other wrinkle is leverage, because Panarin can steer the Rangers toward his preferred landing spot and force everyone else to bow out.
With the trade deadline set for March 6, this feels less like noise and more like a countdown.
Previously on Chicago Hockey Insider
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