Rangers sit Artemi Panarin for roster-related reasons amid trade buzz

The New York Rangers healthy-scratched Artemi Panarin for roster-related reasons, according to Mollie Walker of the New York Post. Not only did Panarin sit Wednesday night against the New York Islanders, but Walker shared that he won’t be back in the lineup before the upcoming Olympic break.

The Rangers have three more games between now and the Olympic break. In all likelihood, he has played his last game for the Rangers.

Still, there’s no indication that a Panarin trade is particularly close. Because of the no-movement clause included in his contract, Panarin would have to greenlight any trade out of New York. It is believed that the Rangers have asked Panarin to provide a list of teams he would be willing to join, and this news suggests that he has at least offered them a few options.

It’ll be interesting to see how long New York is willing to keep Panarin on the sidelines. Because there’s no indication a trade is close, and not every team linked to Panarin has sufficient cap space to acquire Panarin (though they would by the time the March 6 trade deadline rolls around), there’s a possibility that a deal won’t materialize until closer to the deadline. It would be unlikely, but that worst-case scenario could have Panarin without game action for over a month.

Regardless, if he has already played his last game with New York, he has finished as one of the organization’s best offensive players ever. Since joining the Rangers ahead of the 2019-20 campaign, Panarin has scored 205 goals and 607 points in 482 games with a +68 rating. He has consistently maintained a CorsiFor% above 50.0% at even strength and was a top-five scorer in the league as recently as the 2023-24 season.

Much of the concern regarding Panarin’s tenure with the Rangers has stemmed from a perception that he “disappears” during the playoffs. This claim is wholly unfounded.

Although Panarin hasn’t maintained his regular-season scoring pace in the postseason, he has recorded 19 goals and 53 points in 62 playoff games since joining the Columbus Blue Jackets before the 2017-18 season. Exclusively with the Rangers, he’s registered 12 goals and 35 points in 46 games while averaging more than 20 minutes per night, helping the team reach two Eastern Conference Finals.

It’s an evolving situation, but Panarin should be with a new team relatively soon.