B/R Open Ice: Frank Seravalli on the New York Rangers and pending UFA forward Artemi. What is the latest?
** NHLRumors.com transcription
“So everyone on the app and in our YouTube chat wants to talk about Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers. Artemi Panarin. Artemi Panarin, what’s happening? When are they trading him? Where are they trading him?
Well, slow your roll is the first thing I would say. I know everyone’s excited, but we are a long, long way from the NHL trade deadline, which is in March.
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Yes, extension talks between the New York Rangers and Artemi Panarin’s camp have been very slow. But I still think the Rangers ultimately want to understand what kind of team they have first. They’re coming off of winning three of four on their western road trip.
And by the way, speaking of the standings, they’ve now vaulted themselves back into a playoff position by virtue of that 3-1 trip. And similarly, the Boston Bruins, who were in last place in the Eastern Conference, are now back close to a playoff spot, squarely in the mix again after winning three straight. That’s all it takes.
So until we really know what the New York Rangers are, I don’t believe that they’re going to cut their nose off to spite their face on this season and make a move right now to trade Artemi Panarin. I don’t see that happening. I think they want to understand where their team fits in the hierarchy of the Eastern Conference and the overall NHL before making any drastic decisions.
They’ve been very happy with Panarin’s production since he’s arrived as a free agent. He’s obviously a huge part of this team, and he could go down arguably as one of the best free agent signings of all time. When you think about how he entered, what he’s produced at, the rate, and also how successful the Rangers have been coming out of a rebuild and him shepherding them into a new era of New York Rangers hockey.
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Look, everyone’s excited for the Panarin trade talk. I mentioned the Carolina Hurricanes as being one of those teams that is closely monitoring the situation. They’re not alone, but it’s going to be fascinating to watch all this come together, because the Rangers want some more time to figure out what they’ve got before they make any more drastic measures.
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