The New York Rangers are looking to have a better season than last year, and they have started 5-5-2. It's still early, but if they can't keep up the form to stay competitive as the year continues, a lot can change. One of those things is the future of Artemi Panarin, who is looking for an extension.
As of now, it looks like the Rangers are not in a rush to extend Panarin, and are waiting to see how things fold out with new head coach Mike Sullivan, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.
“If and when those talks get going again in a meaningful way, term may be the issue,” LeBrun wrote. “Panarin turned 34 on Thursday. I don’t think he’ll be open to a short-term deal, which would probably be the Rangers’ preference. Panarin is repped by Paul Theofanous, the same agent who squeezed another million a year from the Minnesota Wild after turning down a whopping $16 million per season for Kirill Kaprizov.
“The two negotiations have different dynamics because of the age difference and, to be blunt, because the Rangers are not nearly as desperate to get a deal done as Minnesota was with Kaprizov. But if I were a betting man, I would predict Theofanous wanting as much term as possible for Panarin. This will be the last big contract in his career.”
It looks like the Rangers will take as much time as they need to decide on giving Panarin an extension. At the same time, it wouldn't be a surprise if he was in trade rumors if the team isn't in good shape as the season continues.
The Rangers could look to be sellers at that point, and they want to start a rebuild if things don't go there way. As of now, they're still staying competitive and are in a good spot to keep winning games early.
