Artemi Panarin ‘Confused’ But ‘OK’ With Rangers’ Decision Not To Offer Him Contract Extension

The mood was sad and genuinely sad when he spoke with Artemi Panarin after the Rangers’ 6-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday afternoon to discuss his future.

It had been more than 24 hours since the president and general manager of the Rangers, Chris Drury, wrote a letter to his fans emphasizing the organization’s plan to restructure the roster, which would mean “saying goodbye to the players who have brought us and our fans good times over the years.”

Advertisement

As part of the firestorm of news that followed Drury’s letter, it was reported that he had a one-on-one meeting with Panarin and told him that he would not be given a contract extension, while the team is ready to work with him and agent Paul Theofanous to sell him wherever he wants to go.

Panarin is a player who, since signing a seven-year, $81.5 million contract with the Rangers in 2019, has embraced and loved playing in New York under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.

Although he is still able to smile at the reporters who talk to him after the game as he usually does during an interview, the sadness and discomfort can be seen in the way he speaks considering that his career at Rangers may end in a few weeks if not days.

“It’s hard to say how I feel, I’m still confused, but yes, (the team) decided to go in a different direction,” said Panarin. “I’m fine with that. I’m a Rangers player at the moment so I have to play every game at 100%.

Advertisement

When talking about the difficult truth that exists, Panarin returned the conversation to hockey as in his words “he said (said) everything, I want to say about this situation.”

On Saturday afternoon, Panarin was able to record one goal, two assists, and three points, but it felt unreasonable for the veteran to confirm that on March 6 NHL Trade Deadline, he will not be a member of the Rangers.

“Obviously I think the world of him, he’s a great player,” Mike Sullivan said of Panarin. “He is one of the best Rangers of his generation, I think his work speaks for itself, and what he has achieved in the league.

Rangers Take Emotional Tone After Emotional Victory In Answer Book 2.0 In the New York Rangers’ first game on Saturday afternoon since Letter 2.0 was issued by Chris Drury, emphasizing the team’s intentions to re-enter, they won 6-3 against the Philadelphia Flyers, winning five games.

Advertisement

“I think having the game he had today, after the last few days, that, again, he’s one of the guys that I talk about when I talk about the types of people we have in the room, their character, and how much they care. I think his game today represented that. He’s a great guy. He’s a great player. He’s been offensive in a lot of ways for us, and he continues to do that for us.”

His inevitable exit from The Big Apple is still something that hasn’t fully sunk in and is difficult to fathom about Panarin, but he’s acknowledged that he’ll have to start somewhere else in what could be the final chapter of his career.