The Latest York Rangers wish to retool their roster ahead of the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline. Latest York is dead last within the Eastern Conference presently. And they give the impression of being increasingly unlikely to contend for the postseason anytime soon. Because of this, many are waiting to see what the team does with its veteran players, especially winger Artemi Panarin.
Panarin’s time on Broadway could also be coming to an end. The Rangers are keeping the pending free agent out of the lineup for roster management reasons, as reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. If he will not be traded soon, the expectation is that Panarin won’t play before the Olympic break.
Panarin’s time in Latest York was already winding down before this development. The Rangers aren’t expected to increase the veteran winger a brand new contract. This got here after general manager Chris Drury wrote a letter to fans preparing them for an upcoming roster retool.
The 34-year-old Rangers winger has been certainly one of the team’s best players for a protracted while. He joined the Blueshirts ahead of the 2019-20 campaign. During his tenure, he has five 80+ point seasons, with 4 of them going for 90+. Throughout the 2020-21 COVID-shortened season, Panarin played at a 113-point pace across a full 82-game schedule.
What Latest York will receive in return for Panarin actually stays to be seen. There are sure to be a variety of suitors for the veteran winger. However the Rangers likely won’t trade their star winger for nothing. That is an intriguing situation fans will want to watch over the approaching days.