On July 1, 2019, Artemi Panarin signed a seven-year, $81.5m ($11.64m AAV) contract with the New York Rangers. Considering he’s scored 550 points in 430 games with the Blueshirts, it’s not surprising that he is widely considered the greatest free agent acquisition in Rangers’ history.
With Panarin heading into his seventh and final season, it would seemingly be a no-brainer to get his name on a contract prior to training camp in September.
Not so fast.
NO NEED TO RUSH
As I touched on here, it is not disrespectful for either party to slow-walk extension talks. The Rangers should want to evaluate how Artemi Panarin fits into Mike Sullivan’s system, while simultaneously monitoring the potentially unprecedented list of 2026 UFA’s.
STYLE OF PLAY
The two most consistent themes of the last six seasons have been Panarin’s point production, and the frustration expressed by David Quinn, Gerard Gallant, and Peter Laviolette in the Rangers’ inability, or unwillingness, to play straight-line, north-south hockey.
Despite the fact that Panarin is the ultimate east-west player, none of the previous head coaches publicly connected the dots to Panarin’s style of play. Whether they were comfortable with letting ‘Panarin be Panarin’, or they didn’t want to publicly attack their team’s most skilled forward, there has been a consistent disconnect with what the coach says, and how the team plays.
That could all change in 2025-26. Chris Drury knows that if Sullivan doesn’t work out, he’s probably not going to be the one hiring the next coach. With that type of partnership, and Sullivan’s recent Stanley Cup pedigree, it will be interesting to see if Panarin buys into what Sullivan is selling.
CONNOR MCDAVID
There’s at least a 97% chance Connor McDavid is going to resign with his beloved Edmonton Oilers. But why take the chance? If the world’s best player decides to enter free agency, the Rangers would need Panarin’s money to make their pitch.
Oiler legends Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier finished their careers on Broadway, with Messier even becoming more identified with the Rangers. However, that was before the salary cap era evened the playing field. While baseball has seen consecutive winters with Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto reaching free agency, that doesn’t happen in hockey.
The two most transformative generational players since the advent of the salary cap — Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin — have not sniffed free agency in their careers. That said, the Rangers owe it to themselves, and their fans, to horde their cash until McDavid makes his decision.
JACK EICHEL
McDavid has been the league’s most decorated player since being drafted first overall in 2015. The player who was drafted second, Jack Eichel, is also unsigned beyond this year. While Eichel has not received the personal accolades and individual trophies that his rival has, he has done the one thing McDavid has not, hoist the Stanley Cup.
The Vegas Golden Knights rescued Eichel from the Buffalo Sabres in 2021. Since then, he has shown growth both as a leader and a player. In 2024-25, he scored a career high 94 points and finished fifth in the voting for the Selke Trophy — given annually the best defensive forward.
Since the Golden Knights entered the league in 2017, they have been the NHL’s best-run franchise outside of the state of Florida. That makes Eichel leaving just as unlikely as McDavid bolting Western Canada.
Doesn’t matter. The Rangers need to be prepared.
TRADE DEADLINE INSURANCE POLICY
At first glance, I’m leaning toward the Rangers being comfortably in a playoff position come trade deadline. That likely would make them buyers, waving their newly acquired first-round draft pick (from the Carolina Hurricanes) around to make a post-season push.
However, as last season showed us, talent on paper doesn’t always translate into cohesiveness on the ice. If the wheels fall off again, the Rangers can turn around and use Panarin as a deadline chip.
THE REST OF THE POTENTIAL 2026 FREE AGENT CLASS
As laid out here by Matt Larkin from Daily Faceoff, there’s actually four players he ranks ahead of Panarin in the potential 2026 free agent class. McDavid and Eichel are no-brainer upgrades, but personally I’d prefer to keep Panarin on a short-term deal than go long-term with left wings Kiril Kaprizov and Kyle Connor.
The one name to keep an eye on is Alex Tuch. The Syracuse, NY native has expressed a desire to remain in Buffalo, but there’s been persistent rumors about Drury’s interest in the power forward the last few seasons. If Panarin gives the Rangers a discount, they could keep him and still go after Tuch.
PLAYING THE LONG GAME
Artemi Panarin is still elite—but Chris Drury doesn’t need to make this franchise-altering decision today. He needs to keep his options open, give Mike Sullivan a chance to implement his system, and preserve the financial flexibility to chase a unicorn—should one actually hit the market. Locking up Panarin might feel safe. Waiting is smarter.
1 thought on “Why the Rangers Should Wait to Extend Artemi Panarin”
Sounds like you have thought this through. Its an interesting approach I agree with. No hurry, no rush. slow and steady wins the race.