Is Detroit in Artemi Panarin’s Future?

As much as New York loves to do their franchise players dirty, look at Trouba and Krieder, Panarin’s no movement clause will also give them a tough time passing him off to any suitor. It would need to be somewhere Panarin wants to go. Friedman has floated Washington and Minnesota so that Panarin and unite with countrymen in Ovechkin and Kaprizov. I do think that he could also be interested in reuniting with his old Chicago teammates.

There has been plenty of stories about Kane and Panarin. Kane even mentioned in an interview with Alex DeBrincat that he teamed up with his old friend Panarin on purpose when he went back to play for New York. Detroit would be somewhere Panarin might be interested in going. They’re in a good spot in the standings, he has connections to the team, and he would be exactly what they need on the depth chart to improve.

What Could Detroit Give New York?

Detroit actually has a lot of what New York could want. They have three NHL-ready forward prospects that would become either their best or second-best prospect behind Perrault. Kasper, Brandsegg-Nygård, and Nate Danielson can all play now. If they’re interested, Emmitt Finnie fits the bill as well. Eventhough they want players further out, Max Plante and Dmitri Buchelnikov are both really impressive at their age group and worth a gamble. As for defenceman, it’s a little more shallow. Past Shai Buium and Anton Johansson, the options are really limited.

Detroit also seems ready to part with its first-round draft pick. Credit to the prospect pool for coming along as well as they have. But New York having three first-round picks in a draft this loaded might be enough to kickstart the franchise, turning it around.

Now, this part is important: Detroit isn’t making any deals where a contract isn’t in place with Panarin. I’d imagine Panarin is looking for a pretty hefty payday, something to the tune of 11.5 million again. This would mean Detroit is coughing up around 20 million between Panarin and Edvinsson this offseason. I don’t know that is where Yzerman wants to use a fifth of his cap space.

What Detroit goes for in a deal likely depends on what Panarin agrees to sign for. If he takes a cut down to the 8.5-10 million range, I’d imagine Steve Yzerman wouldn’t really have a problem spending more to acquire Panarin.

What Detroit gives New York in terms of assets for Panarin depends on the same thing it always depends on with Yzerman: the contract. He turned away Hughes because there wasn’t a handshake deal completed. It sounds like the holdout on Andersson is that no deal is in place. There isn’t going to be a trade made unless Yzerman is sure he can lock down Panarin.

What Panarin Brings to Detroit:

This is probably the most exciting one for Red Wings fans, as Panarin changes the outlook for Detroit. Let’s start with the simplest explanation: the top six have six players who belong there. But moreover, it allows you to put DeBrincat back with Larkin and Raymond.

I’ve long said that it is one of the most dominant lines in hockey because it is. Over a 70% shots for percentage and over a 63% corsi for percentage. Keeping that line together is a win in and of itself. However, the reason they can’t is that they won’t be getting the most out of Patrick Kane unless he is buddied up with one of his best teammates. Getting Panarin allows for that to happen again. Not to mention, Andrew Copp also had a layover in New York for some added chemistry. It would give Detroit two lines stacked with star power without touching a lot of the bottom six pieces that worked.

In my eyes, a Panarin trade with extension looks like this:

New York Acquires: Marco Kasper, Max Plante, Nikita Tyurin, 2026 First Round Pick, 2028 Second Round Pick

Detroit Acquires: Artemi Panarin

Now, I don’t know that trade would be what New York wants. But from an outsider perspective, they get a pretty good return for a guy they would lose in free agency. They nab an NHL-ready young player, a promising future in Max Plante, and they gamble on Tyurin becoming an offensive defenceman at the NHL level. They also get some solid draft capital.

This would give Detroit the following lines:

DeBrincat-Larkin-Raymond

Panarin-Copp-Kane

Van Riemsdyk-Danielson*-Finnie

Rasmussen-Compher-Appleton

Wrapping Up:

I don’t think it’s something that should be at the top of Red Wings fans’ lists. There are a lot of names out there and a lot of things to look at internally. However, I think it’s worth at least checking on players of Panarin’s calibre, even if it’s not the perfect fit for the team long term.

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