Artemi Panarin has likely play his last game with the New York Rangers. The superstar forward was a healthy scratch
Artemi Panarin has likely play his last game with the New York Rangers.
The superstar forward was a healthy scratch when the Rangers faced off against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on Wednesday for “roster management purposes.” Of course, that’s a code phrase for “we plan on trading this player soon and don’t want him injured before a deal is finalized.”
After Wednesday, the Rangers play three more games before the NHL roster freeze for the Winter Olympics break on Feb 4. If not traded before then, Panarin reportedly won’t play in any of the games before rosters are frozen late next week.
Teams can begin making player transactions again after Feb 22. The NHL Trade Deadline is March 6.
The Rangers informed Panarin two weeks ago that they won’t offer him a contract extension, and plan to work with him on a trade to a destination of his choosing. The 34-year-old has a complete no-move clause in his contract that carries an $11.64 million salary-cap hit, so he must sign off on any trade.
Vince Mercogliano of The Athletic reported earlier Wednesday that the Rangers are allowing Panarin’s representatives to speak with interested teams about a contract extension before finalizing any trade. It’s been speculated that an extension is important to Panarin, who may prefer to move once and not twice after leaving the Rangers.
Panarin leads the Rangers this season with 57 points (19 goals, 38 assists) in 52 games. That’s not a surprise since he led the Rangers in scoring each of his first six season with them after signing a seven-year, $81.5 million contract as a free agent on July 1, 2019.
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