Breaking Down A Hypothetical Artemi Panarin Rangers-Sharks Trade

X user BaldPanarin suggested a trade that had mixed reactions from the fanbase. The projected ask from the Rangers aligned with Brock Nelson‘s deal at last year’s trade deadline, which included a top prospect, a first-round pick, and a third-round pick. According to Daily Faceoff’s Prospect Rankings this past offseason, Quentin Musty and Igor Chernyshov would be the Sharks’ fifth and seventh-ranked prospects, respectively.

Rangers fans felt that the package wasn’t enough because of this, but they have to understand the quality of San Jose’s prospect pool. The four players in front of Musty in the rankings were Michael Misa, Sam Dickinson, Yaroslav Askarov, and Joshua Ravensbergen. The top three are already on the Sharks’ roster this season, and Ravensbergen doesn’t have much value to the Rangers, considering they have Igor Shesterkin.

Issues with Rangers-Sharks Proposed Artemi Panarin Trade

The Rangers might ask for Dickinson or Misa in a hypothetical trade between the two teams. It’d be a tough pill for San Jose to swallow, but the franchise has a logjam of young talent. The Sharks are currently battling for the last wild-card spot in the West, and Panarin would give them a much greater chance of making the postseason this year than Misa would.

At a certain point, the Sharks have to bite the bullet and try to contend with this roster. They have one of the best players in the world in Macklin Celebrini on his entry-level contract for one more season after this one. San Jose is closer to being a playoff contender than they expected this season, and another year of their young core growing alongside each other could make them one of the Pacific Division’s top teams next season, with Celebrini and Will Smith still making under $1 million.

It might hurt to give away Misa instead of Chernyshov or Musty, but that could be what the Sharks face to get the trade over the finish line. Should the Sharks make a bold move to attempt to accelerate their contending window, or should they stay the course and keep riding with their young talent?