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Artemi Panarin has likely played his last game as a member of the New York Rangers. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Rangers plan to sit Panarin for trade-related reasons until the Olympic break starts on Feb. 6, assuming a deal doesn’t materialize before then.
Rangers general manager Chris Drury announced that the team will be undergoing another retooling just 12 days ago, so this news doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Panarin is a 34-year-old pending free agent who will likely command significant money on his next deal, and the Rangers have reset their timeline.
New York should be able to get a haul for a veteran winger who just posted 120 points two seasons ago, and there should be no shortage of interest. Panarin still has plenty of offensive prowess, and he leads the Rangers in assists (38) and points (57). Since he entered the league in 2015-16, only four players have more points than Panarin’s 927. The team that lands Panarin will be getting an elite first-line winger.
The trouble with moving Panarin may be money — how much he’s owed this season and what he will be owed in the future. Panarin comes with a big $11.6 million cap hit for the remainder of 2025-26 season, and then he’s set to become a free agent. The Rangers probably won’t get a king’s ransom unless Panarin comes with a contract extension, and finding a team willing to pay a 34-year-old top dollar may be difficult.
That said, Panarin would be an ideal fit on a number of playoff contenders, particularly these six, before the March 6 trade deadline.
Anaheim Ducks
Anaheim is a team on the rise and has what the Rangers would covet in a deal for Panarin: young talent and draft capital. The up-and-coming Ducks are currently third in the Pacific Division and just four points out of first place. Offense hasn’t necessarily been an issue for this team so far, but adding Panarin would put an experienced scorer in a locker room that is very much on the inexperienced side.
Star center Leo Carlsson has gone cold since his torrid start over the first couple months, and a pairing with someone like Panarin might just be what kickstarts him for the home stretch. Besides, if the Ducks are going to go through teams like the Edmonton Oilers or Vegas Golden Knights, they’re going to need some real firepower.
According to PuckPedia, the Ducks are projected to have almost $40 million in cap space next offseason. Granted, some of that is already labeled for players like Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier, but Anaheim could afford a substantial investment in Panarin.
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Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes have excellent depth, but they’ve been on the search for a truly elite offensive threat for a while now. They had it for all of eight games last season thanks to the Mikko Rantanen trade, but Panarin would provide them with a superstar scorer for an entire playoff run.
Beyond that, the Canes have won a single Eastern Conference Final game since winning the Stanley Cup in 2006. As Carolina tries to get over that hump, wouldn’t this be the season to push the chips into the middle of the table? Take a look around the East. Only the Tampa Bay Lightning look like a juggernaut, and the back-to-back champs are outside the playoffs. The runway is clear for the Hurricanes, and they need to make a big move.
Money won’t be a problem this season, but a contract extension might be more problematic. Still, the risk of losing Panarin to free agency next summer is worth it if it means Carolina can make a real run at the second Cup in franchise history.
Detroit Red Wings
The plan is finally starting to come together for Steve Yzerman in Detroit. After he sat on his hands through the trade deadline last season, it would be shocking if he did the same this year. The Red Wings could win the Atlantic Division, or at the very least secure home-ice advantage in the first round, thanks to a pair of budding young stars in Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond.
When it comes to the roster, there is a clear drop-off behind the top three forwards — Raymond, Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Larkin. No other forward has more than 32 points, and just one has more than nine goals. Panarin would give the Red Wings another elite playmaker to support those other three big guns at the top of the lineup (his 57 points would rank second on the team).
The Red Wings have money to spend — both this season and next. According to PuckPedia, Detroit will have roughly $35 million at the start of the new league year, and most of their key players are already signed. Why not write a big check to get the winged wheel back among the NHL’s contenders?
Florida Panthers
The Panthers always seem to be poking around the biggest names on the trade market, and Panarin wouldn’t be any different. After all, when Panarin signed with the Rangers in 2019, the Panthers were in the mix. Panarin’s friend from the Columbus Blue Jackets, Sergei Bobrovsky, did wind up in Sunrise that year. Might we see a reunion soon?
Thanks in large part to injuries, the Panthers simply haven’t been as formidable in 2025-26. Offensively, they’re 19th in the NHL with 157 goals, and Sam Reinhart and Brad Marchand have been forced to carry much of that load. Panarin could take some weight off their shoulders, and he would give Florida the caliber of playmaking talent it lacked with captain Aleksander Barkov out of the lineup. Then, what if Barkov could return for the postseason? A three-peat would be in the cards.
If the Panthers are going to acquire Panarin, they would have to move some money out, and they aren’t exactly flush with draft capital. This may sound crazy, but would Florida be willing to send Anton Lundell the other way? The 24-year-old center has struggled a bit in an elevated role this season but is still a player who would interest New York.
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Los Angeles Kings
If there was ever a team that needed some offense, it’s the Kings. Only two teams have allowed fewer goals, and just one team allows five-on-five expected goals at a lower rate. The problem is that Los Angeles ranks 30th in scoring, ahead of only the anemic Calgary Flames and St. Louis Blues.
As things stand now, we’re headed for the fifth movie in the Kings vs. Oilers franchise, and we know how they all end. Edmonton overwhelms Los Angeles with its offensive attack, and the series is over in five or six games. With Panarin in the mix, the script could be different. Not only would Panarin’s 19 goals lead the team, but his 57 points would be 17 points clear of the next closest player, Adrian Kempe. Quinton Byfield has nine goals in 50 games. Let him center Panarin’s line and watch him reach his offensive potential.
Los Angeles would be able to absorb Panarin’s cap hit and still retain each of its first-round picks in the next three drafts. Would this be a good fit long-term? Only time would tell.
Washington Capitals
This trade scenario would unite Russian superstars Panarin and Alex Ovechkin in the nation’s capital. That should be enough to sell anyone on this deal, but it makes sense well beyond the bond between those two.
The Capitals have had a disastrous January. They’re still within striking distance of the playoffs, but something has to change quickly. Winning the Panarin sweepstakes would certainly qualify as change. With Pierre-Luc Dubois on the shelf, Washington is particularly bereft of pop at the top of its lineup. Beyond Ovechkin, Tom Wilson and (maybe) Dylan Strome, it gets bleak pretty quickly. Although the Caps really need a center, Panarin has the ability to drive play and distribute the puck from the wing, something this roster desperately needs to compete with the East’s best.
In order to make this deal, Washington would either have to shed salary or pay extra for New York to retain some money. Regardless of which route they go, the Caps should have the draft capital to make this trade.