Around the NHL: All eyes on Rangers moving Panarin, Canucks discussing Pettersson trade

Welcome back to another edition of Around the NHL. There was a huge trade completed over the weekend involving Rasmus Andersson being shipped out by the Calgary Flames to join the Vegas Golden Knights, a team that happened to be Andersson’s top choice on his list.

While Flames general manager Craig Conroy may have done right by the player, the Golden Knights’ offer of defenceman Zach Whitecloud and potentially two first-round picks ended up surpassing what the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, and Dallas Stars were offering. From a Leafs Nation lens, it didn’t appear talks ever advanced.

Andersson is on the move, the Olympics are only a few weeks away, and there’s an upcoming roster freeze that could act like an early trade deadline. Here’s the very latest from around the NHL.

New York Rangers retool will involve Artemi Panarin trade

It’s not often a general manager releases a statement through his team’s communication channels to inform the fan base there’s some roster changes coming, but that’s where Chris Drury is right now with the New York Rangers.

Drury released a statement a few days ago to give the Rangers’ faithful a heads up that the team was going to retool ahead of the trade deadline. This could involve moving out some veterans, it could potentially mean former first-overall pick Alexis Lafreniere is in play, but one player who is most likely to be dealt is leading scorer Artemi Panarin. Something Panarin is awfully confused by.

“It’s hard to say how I feel,” Panarin told The Athletic’s Vincent Z. Mercogliano after Saturday’s 6-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. “I’m still confused, but the GM decided to go in a different direction. I’m OK with that. I’m a Ranger player right now, so I’ll play every game 100%.”

Panarin’s a pending free agent, he’s the biggest fish on the market, and he happens to have a full no-movement clause, so he controls his own destiny. Teams have been reaching out in regards to having permission to talk extension, but to this point, it doesn’t appear any team has been given the green light to discuss a contract. Panarin is expensive at $11.6 million AAV but if Drury retains up to 50 percent of his contract, the Rangers could receive a significant package in return, loaded with potential..

Vancouver Canucks likely moving Elias Pettersson

While Drury is open for business in the Eastern Conference, the Vancouver Canucks management duo of Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin have kept it very transparent with executives around the league notifying everyone the ‘for sale’ sign is up on their roster.

After captain Quinn Hughes was dealt to the Minnesota Wild, anything was on the table, and that includes moving on from Elias Pettersson, who is signed through the 2032 season at $11.6 million AAV. Pettersson owns a full no-movement clause, and has produced 29 points in his first 40 games, which unfortunately for the Canucks, does lead their team.

As far as trade talks are concerned, there’s been plenty of chatter about the Carolina Hurricanes, a team that has been involved in Pettersson trade talks in the past, and appear to be circling back. The Los Angeles Kings make a ton of sense, with Anze Kopitar retiring at season’s end, and the need for help down the middle of the ice.

Utah, Chicago, and Philadelphia have been linked on a few different occasions, so they could be worth keeping an eye on. As for the Canucks, while Pettersson remains a trade candidate, don’t be surprised to see a number of players moved, including Jake DeBrusk, Conor Garland, Evander Kane, David Kampf, and certainly Kiefer Sherwood. Rutherford and Allvin have a lot of work to do over the course of the next six weeks.

Quick hits from around the NHL

• New Jersey Devils continue to discuss a Dougie Hamilton trade, and while the Maple Leafs appear to be involved, perhaps the Boston Bruins get more aggressive after losing out on Andersson, even though they were the only team with permission to discuss a contract extension.
• Ottawa Senators defenceman Jake Sanderson called out goaltender Leevi Merilainen after Saturday’s 6-5 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens. “I think Leevi made some good saves,” Sanderson said, per The Athletic’s Julian McKenzie. “But I think, at the end of the day, you’ve got to make more than 10 saves to win a game.”
• Anaheim Ducks budding star Leo Carlsson will miss three-to-five weeks after undergoing a thigh procedure.
• The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta sees the Wild trying to acquire Vincent Trocheck from the Rangers. Pagnotta mentioned he wouldn’t be surprised if the Hurricanes got involved as well.
• Nashville Predators forward Steven Stamkos has been fined $2,500 for unsportsmanlike conduct toward an opponent while on the bench, hitting Golden Knights defenceman Jeremy Lauzon in the face with his stick while he was tied up with teammate Jonathan Marchessault.
• Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins played in his 1,000th game on Sunday, and helped the Oilers shut out the St. Louis Blues by recording an early power-play goal on his big night.
• While the Flames moved Andersson over the weekend, trade talks seem to have quieted down around Nazem Kadri and Blake Coleman.
• The Maple Leafs continue to search for a top-four defenceman, and it’s going to be interesting to see if Brad Treliving can pull off a trade.