The New York Rangers found themselves between a rock and a hard place during the Artemi Panarin negotiations. It’s as if the Blueshirts were in a hopeless situation where they couldn’t win either way.
As the dust settles on the massive deal, more and more details begin to emerge ex post facto. That situation has filled in some of the gaps on why the trade happened the way it did. As Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported on Thursday, Panarin had a Zoom call with media members to discuss post-trade issues.
One of the comments that Panarin made was that it was LA or bust for him. It was evident he only picked one team and wasn’t willing to go anywhere else. If the LA Kings didn’t pony up, he was willing to skip the country and wait to see what happened.
“(GM Ken Holland) waited pretty long, he made me nervous,” Panarin said. “I have experience being a free agent, so it was kind of similar…I was not ready to pick a team where I didn’t want to go. I probably go back to Russia if LA doesn’t give me anything.”
It didn’t sound like Panarin was kidding when he said he would go back to Russia if things didn’t work out. Meanwhile, Panarin was justifiably in a tight spot, as it seems the Kings were purposely slow walking the situation.
Rangers Missed Out Big Time Once Florida Teams Dropped Out
So, one of the biggest storylines leading up to Wednesday’s trade was the two Florida-based teams being the leaders in the Panarin derby. Several reports had emerged that the Florida Panthers were Panarin’s go-to destination.
The Tampa Bay Lightning were also pushing hard to land the 34-year-old star. But somewhere along the way, both the Panthers and Lightning dropped. Now, this comment is purely speculation, but it’s likely Panarin nixed the Lightning and the Panthers dropped out because they just couldn’t make the trade work.
That situation pretty much left the Rangers with just one team to work with. That’s hardly an advantageous situation. The Rangers had nothing to work with and, well, got the best deal they could.
Panarin Left Money on the Table to go to LA
Another interesting revelation has been the offer by the Seattle Kraken. The Kraken reportedly offered Panarin a four-year deal around $12 million AAV. Seattle pushed hard, but just couldn’t close the gap with the Rangers and Panarin’s camp.
During the call, Panarin was asked about the Kraken, but he just skirted the issue. He replied cryptically by stating that it wasn’t about money. It was about playing for a team he wanted.
“(This decision was) not so much about money. Do you want to play with guys or not want to play with guys?”
That comment was an indirect slight to the Kraken organization. Panarin implicitly made it known he just didn’t want to play for Seattle. While that’s his choice, it’s interesting, nonetheless.
Ultimately, the Rangers essentially had little to nothing to work with. If Chris Drury had dug his heels in and said no to the Kings, Panarin could have gone back to Russia. Such an outcome would have been the worst possible one for everyone in the mix.
Rangers Risked Panarin Skipping Country If No Deal Happened