New York Rangers
Major Questions Emerge About Artemi Panarin’s Future in the NHL
Artemi Panarin is a pending UFA, but will his playing future remain in the NHL? There is talk he may not be sticking around.
Thanks to all of the massive extensions signed around the NHL in recent months, Artemi Panarin is now left as the number one pending free agent in next summer’s class. That’s no shot at Panarin, who remains one of the best wingers in hockey, but with the possibility of Connor McDavid, Kirill Kaprizov, Jack Eichel, Adrian Kempe, and even Martin Necas signing this summer all gone, the excitement has died down.
It’s impossible to gauge the outlook of the up-and-down New York Rangers this season and moving forward, which puts Panarin’s future with the team in question. However, according to former player Alexei Kovalev, it’s not just his status as a Ranger that’s uncertain, but also his future in the NHL as a whole.
Kovalev said:
“There are talks that Panarin wants to leave the NHL and go back to Russia. I don’t know if it’s true, but that’s what people are saying.”
The 34-year-old is playing in the final season of the seven-year, $81,499,999 contract he signed to join the Rangers as a UFA back in 2019. After a slow start, he’s started to find his game, up to 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) through 21 games on the campaign.
Panarin Would Draw Plenty of Interest As a UFA
While these rumors of Panarin leaving the NHL to go back home and presumably play in the KHL are now out there, all it takes is the right opportunity and offer from an interested team to lure him into staying in North America.
It appears more and more likely that the Breadman will leave New York, and there’s already been a handful of potential landing spots floating around the rumor mill.
The Anaheim Ducks, Carolina Hurricanes, and Minnesota Wild are among them, all of whom could be a strong fit for the uber-talented winger.
Anything is on the table right now for Panarin, and it feels as if how things go the remainder of the 2025-26 season could play a major role in his decision this summer.
Next: Speculation Swirls Again as Coffey’s Name Reenters the Oilers Conversation
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