The Recent York Rangers sent a letter to their fans, preparing them for a re-tool. That has led to everyone across the league preparing for the Rangers to trade for Artemi Panarin before the March 6 trade deadline. The Athletic’s Peter Baugh has more on the Panarin trade conversations, which the player has not chimed in on.
“Panarin has not disclosed his desires regarding potential trade destinations,” Baugh wrote. “That potentially won’t change until a deal materializes. One element to observe is whether or not he’ll seek an extension with a brand new team along with a trade. People across the league have speculated that could possibly be his preference, though Panarin or his camp haven’t given a sign in some way.”
The Rangers produce other players they might trade as a part of the re-tool. But a lot of those players are on long-term deals or have trade protection. Panarin has a full no-move clause, but the shortage of an extension from the Rangers should get him to waive it. Baugh goes into why an extension is a very important piece of the trade.
“If the 34-year-old Panarin signs an extension as a part of a trade, he won’t must move twice and can have immediate clarity on his future. It could boost the Rangers’ return, too. Recent York wouldn’t be trading a rental player but as a substitute one with team control. In fact, if Panarin has just one destination in mind, the package the Rangers get back could possibly be limited, no matter whether an extension is in place.”
The Rangers have inquiries to answer
Not only has Panarin not publicly spoken concerning the trade possibility, but general manager Chris Drury has not spoken since sending the letter. Nobody knows how deep this retool will go, however the alternative of words should inform deadline predictions. Alexis Lafreniere is the piece many think could possibly be moved, but he has a big contract.
The Rangers drafted Lafreniere first overall in 2020 after winning the draft lottery. His development has stalled, and he just isn’t definitely worth the $7.45 million payday coming his way through 2032. However the positive for the Rangers is that his trade protection doesn’t kick in until July 1, 2027.
If the Rangers trade Panarin and Lafreniere, they’d be kicking off the re-tool with significant moves. Panarin is pretty much as good as gone, with Stanley Cup contenders likely lining up so as to add him to their top six. But Lafreniere is a unique bet that a team outside of the normal contenders could make. How deep will this Rangers re-tool go?