4 Potential Landing Spots for New York Rangers Winger Artemi Panarin

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The Athletic’s Arthur Staple created a
stir last week in the NHL rumor mill with a report of a possible rift between
New York Rangers general manager Chris Drury and winger Artemi
Panarin.

In his June 23 analysis of the Rangers’
offseason, Staple reported Drury
was “vocally unhappy” over Panarin’s performance in the playoffs. The 30-year-old had 16 points during the Blueshirts’
20-game run, but he didn’t display the consistency expected
of a regular-season scoring leader.

Staple acknowledged Panarin’s hefty
contract would be almost impossible to move. He has four seasons
remaining with an $11.6 million annual salary-cap hit and
a no-movement clause. Nevertheless, he speculated Panarin could
ask out.

Neither Panarin nor Drury have commented, and there’s no indication the winger could be
available via the trade market. The two may have
discussed Panarin’s playoff performance during his exit interview, and if there is an issue between them, they will probably try to sort it out.

The chance that Panarin will hit the trade block is remote. While every team would love to add a forward with his playmaking abilities, his contract would be difficult for most teams to absorb.

Still, there’s always a possibility, no matter
how slim, that a rival club could step in with a tempting offer
provided Panarin agrees to be moved.

Here are four clubs that could be
landing spots this summer and what it
might take to acquire him. Feel free to weigh in with your thoughts in the comment section below.

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The Detroit Red Wings have been
rebuilding with young talent since Steve Yzerman took over as general
manager in 2019. They’ve missed the playoffs for the past
six seasons, however, and the franchise record is seven, from back in the 1970s. That could prompt Yzerman to speed things up
by swinging a deal for a star.

Detroit must bolster its offense after its 2.8 goals per game ranked 25th. Panarin would improve its production and could help end
the long playoff drought.

It’s probably a stretch to imagine that the Red Wings GM would stray from his path to acquire an expensive player such as Panarin. And we don’t
know if Detroit would even be on Panarin’s list of acceptable destinations.

Still, the Red Wings have two things
necessary to pull off a Panarin trade: They are carrying lots of
salary-cap space and have promising assets.

Detroit has $35.8 million in cap
space with 15 players under contract for 2022-23. That includes core talents in Dylan Larkin, Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond, Tyler
Bertuzzi and Alex Nedeljkovic.

Scott Wheeler of The Athletic ranked the
Wings seventh in his analysis of teams’ prospect
depth. Defensemen Simon Edvinsson and William Wallinder and
goaltender Sebastian Cossa are among Detroit’s top prospects. And 2018 first-round pick Filip Zadina could also be available, as he might
benefit from a change of scenery after struggling to establish
himself.

The Red Wings would also be in need of
a first-line left winger after 2022-23 if Bertuzzi tests the unrestricted free-agent market next year. Yzerman could package
the 27-year-old with one or two of his quality prospects. The Rangers
could insist on the Red Wings’ first-round pick (No. 8) in this year’s draft
since New York traded its pick to the Winnipeg Jets.

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During the final week of their contracts with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Panarin and goaltender Sergei
Bobrovsky met with then-Florida Panthers general manager Dale Tallon. Bobrovsky inked a seven-year deal with the Panthers, but Panarin signed with the Rangers.

Tallon departed in August 2020 and was replaced by Bill Zito. Nevertheless, Florida could be
among the few clubs that Panarin might accept as a trade destination. Several things would have to happen for the Panthers to take on Panarin, not the least being Zito having a willingness to make that move.

What might tempt him is the status of
Jonathan Huberdeau, who is slated to become an unrestricted free
agent next summer. If Zito feels the 29-year-old left winger will test the market, perhaps he will explore a trade.

A deal could be made to send Huberdeau
to New york for Panarin. Given the enormous gap between Panarin’s $11.6
million average annual value and Huberdeau’s $5.9 million, Zito could
insist that the Rangers retain half of Panarin’s cap hit. Drury, however, could be reluctant to carry $5.8 million in dead
cap over the next four years.

Zito could free up room if he
finds a taker for Bobrovsky. On June 14, Sportsnet 590 The Fan’s Nick Kypreos reported the 33-year-old was being “shopped hard,” noting the club was willing to retain part of his salary to facilitate a trade.

If Zito can move a healthy portion of
Bobrovsky’s $10 million annual cap hit, he could acquire Panarin.
He could clear another $5.3 million if he finds a trade partner for veteran
winger Patric Hornqvist.

These scenarios are probably too
complicated to pull off. Still, if Panarin is willing to
waive his no-movement clause to go to Florida, it might be worthwhile
for the clubs to have a discussion.

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The Rangers and New Jersey Devils have
only ever traded once. Drury won’t send his best winger to a rival, but the Devils could acquire Panarin as part of a three-way trade if he prefers to remain close to New York City.

Such a move would have to happen after
Panarin were traded to another club. Drury might not be keen to get involved
in a multiteam swap if he knows Panarin will end up with New Jersey, but there would be nothing he can do once Panarin is gone.

The Devils need an elite winger to
skate alongside centers Nico Hischier or Jack Hughes. They ranked 19th with 3.0 goals per game, while their power play (15.6 percent) finished 28th.

New Jersey general manager Tom Fitzgerald
proved he’s capable of making a big, surprising move when he signed defenseman Dougie Hamilton last summer. With $25.3 million in
salary-cap space for 2022-23 and 15 players under contract,
Fitzgerald can take on Panarin’s big contract.

Fitzgerald has said he’s willing to
trade his 2022 first-rounder (No. 2) to bring in an impact
player. Few players would fit the bill as well as Panarin, though the GM would have to bundle that pick with a couple of quality
prospects or young players. If the Rangers retain part of
Panarin’s salary to ship him to another club, he would be even more
affordable for the Devils.

Three-way trades aren’t easy to pull
off, especially when they involve a star such as Panarin. It’s
probably wishful thinking that he could end up with New Jersey this
way. Nevertheless, one should not underestimate the ability of a
creative general manager to find a way to make things work.

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This one is a wild card. The Vegas Golden Knights are
already over the $82.5 million salary cap for next season.
They have 16 players under contract for 2022-23 and must shed salary
while filling out their roster.

The Golden Knights, however, have shown
an impressive ability to wheel and deal for noteworthy talent. They acquired Mark Stone in 2018, Max Pacioretty in
2019, Robin Lehner and Alec Martinez in 2020 and Jack Eichel
in November.

Vegas had more
cap space to work with when it made those trades, and it also drained its prospect pool with those moves, shipping
out young assets such as Nick Suzuki and Peyton Krebs. The Knights also lack
a first-round pick in this year’s draft, having dealt it to the
Buffalo Sabres in the Eichel trade.

General manager Kelly McCrimmon recently made a move to provide his club with wiggle
room for next season. On June 16, he sent winger Evgenii Dadonov
to the Montreal Canadiens for the contract of sidelined
defenseman Shea Weber. With Weber on long-term injured reserve, Vegas has the flexibility to address needs.

And the Golden Knights could have
a trade chip in Pacioretty. The 33-year-old left winger remains a
productive scorer, but he’s a year away from unrestricted free
agency.

McCrimmon
could offer him in a package for Panarin or deal him to
another club to clear his $7 million cap hit to make room for Panarin. The GM would likely insist that New York retain a portion of Panarin’s cap hit.

Going after Panarin is a long shot for the Golden Knights given their cap issues. And they might not be on his list
of trade destinations. But their recent history
suggests we shouldn’t rule out the prospect that they’ll pull off another blockbuster deal.

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Stats via NHL.com. Salary info via Cap Friendly.