"Artemi Panarin is currently the hottest trade topic in the NHL. The Russian star appears to have played his last game with the New York Rangers as the team holds him out for "roster management reasons" ahead of the league's break for the 2026 Winter Olympics. The Washington Capitals have been rumored to have interest in acquiring Panarin from the beginning of his supposed availability, although top hockey insider Elliotte Friedman called them an unlikely landing spot on Thursday."
""You call some people who are pretty plugged in, and they're like, 'That's the exact opposite of what I have heard.' Or they say, 'That's not exactly what I've heard. Some of it is the same, but some of it is different.' And by the end of the conversation, I began to wonder if some teams were being told different things than other teams just to try to keep the information as quiet as possible,"
"Friedman made it clear that Panarin and agent Paul Theofanous prefer to have a contract extension in place as part of any trade, and that the magic number for that contract is $50 million. However, Panarin is not expected to have a strong preference regarding term, so teams could spread that $50 million over three to six seasons to better suit their salary cap situations."
Artemi Panarin has been held out by the New York Rangers for roster management reasons and appears to have played his last game with the team ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics break. The Washington Capitals have been linked to Panarin and are again considered a top suitor. Conflicting information is circulating around the league about which teams are truly involved, with some teams apparently receiving different accounts. Panarin and agent Paul Theofanous prefer a contract extension included in any trade, with a target of $50 million. The player is expected to be flexible on term, allowing teams to spread the $50 million over three to six seasons.
Read at RMNB
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