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The latest round of NHL rumors suggest the Seattle Kraken came painfully close to landing Artemi Panarin on Wednesday.
The fallout from the Artemi Panarin has come with a healthy dose of NHL rumors. One, in particular, focuses on a team that was painfully close to landing the Russian star, but ultimately came up short.
According to insider David Pagnotta, the Seattle Kraken pushed hard to land Panarin. They made a substantial offer with a much better contract extension than the one the LA Kings ultimately gave Panarin.
In particular, NHL rumors suggest the Kraken offered a three to four-year extension in the $12 million per season range. That’s pretty much close to the $50 million that Panarin had purportedly asked for.
Per sources, Seattle tried hard to acquire Panarin and offered him a significant contract extension worth north of $12M AAV in the 3-4 year range. Wasn’t enough to entice Panarin to change his mind, thus no deal.
However, the deal did not go through as Panarin was unwilling to waive his no-movement clause to head to Seattle.
While the precise return for Panarin is unclear, it’s likely the Kraken offered up more than the LA Kings did. The Kings surrendered a former first-round pick and two mid-round draft picks in the deal.
The Kings had been a part of NHL rumors. But it was a mild surprise to see the Kings prevail. The chatter leading up to Wednesday’s trade posited that the Florida Panthers were the go-to destination.
Other NHL rumors suggested that the Kraken, while trying to make a strong push, were pretty much out of it.
The coming days and weeks should reveal further insight into why Panarin nixed a deal to the Kraken, especially because he left some significant money on the table by going to LA.
NHL Rumors Should Not Go Away for Kraken
Missing out on Panarin should not quell the Kraken’s efforts to land a top-six scorer. The talk surrounding the Kraken is that the team would like to acquire a solid scorer to boost the club’s overall offensive punch.
The latest NHL rumors have focused on Shane Wright and his purported desire for a chance of scenery. The Kraken are believed to be willing to offer Wright as part of a trade that lands said scoring forward.
However, it remains unclear which players the Kraken could target now. With Panarin off the board, the focus could shift to players available in Vancouver and St. Louis.
Kraken May Have Quiet Trade Deadline
Given the clear lack of sellers at this year’s trade deadline, the Kraken may go quietly. Despite the team’s best efforts to make deals happen, NHL rumors don’t really seem to show anything is imminent at this moment.
If the Kraken do go quiet at the deadline, they’ll have to find solutions to their scoring woes during the offseason. Perhaps addressing those needs might be easier during the summer. Nevertheless, the Kraken are in the playoff mix. That’s why failing to add at the deadline will not be a welcome outcome for fans.
The Kraken will have three weeks during the Olympic break to potentially find a suitable trade. NHL rumors should not slow down during the hiatus. If anything, they’ll likely pick up. So, Seattle fans will have plenty to chew on while the Milano-Cortina Games unfold.
Nestor Quixtan Seasoned NHL analyst and baseball writer focused on covering clubs across each league with news, analysis, and insights. Originally from Toronto, Canada, Nestor’s singular experiences and background have enabled him to bring a different take on the sports world as a whole. Nestor’s fondness for baseball and hockey set the tone for his love and passion for writing about sports. More about Nestor Quixtan
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