More than ever, Artemi Panarin could be traded

“Do I think Chris Drury will be afraid to trade Artemi Panarin at the deadline if they’re going nowhere? No, I don’t think so.”

–

Frank Sevaralli

From this statement, we can deduce a few things. The first is that Panarin could be available if the Habs want a player to play with Demidov. Clearly, he’s not the only one who could become available. Kent Hughes’ patience could bring him a very good player in the middle of the season

But we’d have to think about another contract if the Canadiens want Panarin for several seasons. He’s running out the last year of a 7-year contract worth $11.64 million a year. What we can also read between the lines is that the Rangers have not, at least so far, managed a good rebuild. It was brief, of course, but the team never reached the expected level. We haven’t reached the Stanley Cup Final since 2014, and after getting rid of several veterans last year, the team wanted to use the core and add pieces. However, Panarin is part of the core, so would a deal like this be the start of another rebuild? To be continued

’Overtime’

– Pretty crazy.

– Nice showcase.

– The Devils are on fire.

– That’s one less on the calendar.