The New York Rangers are looking to retool their roster ahead of the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline. New York is dead last in the Eastern Conference at this time. And they look increasingly unlikely to contend for the postseason anytime soon. As a result, many are waiting to see what the team does with its veteran players, especially winger Artemi Panarin.
Panarin's time on Broadway may 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 is not traded soon, the expectation is that Panarin won't play before the Olympic break.
Panarin's time in New York was already winding down before this development. The Rangers are not expected to extend the veteran winger a new contract. This came 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 one of the team's best players for a long while. He joined the Blueshirts ahead of the 2019-20 campaign. During his tenure, he has five 80+ point seasons, with four of them going for 90+. During the 2020-21 COVID-shortened season, Panarin played at a 113-point pace across a full 82-game schedule.
What New York will receive in return for Panarin certainly remains to be seen. There are sure to be a number of suitors for the veteran winger. But the Rangers likely won't trade their star winger for nothing. This is an intriguing situation fans will want to monitor over the coming days.
