Artemi Panarin responds to the Rangers letter.

The New York Rangers announced to their fans this week their plans to begin transitioning away from their current roster of players as they look towards the future and begin to retool their roster. That announcement came in the form of a letter from Rangers general manager Chris Drury, with the message receiving a wide range of reactions from fans.

Along with the letter from the Rangers came reports that Rangers star forward Artemi Panarin would not be offered a new contract with the franchise, effectively indicating that Panarin will either be traded ahead of the trade deadline or will simply walk away as a free agent at the end of the season.

That news was received poorly with Panarin a relatively beloved player in the Rangers market, and on Saturday the man himself was given the chance to address the recent news after a Rangers 6-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Panarin was candid and admitted he was confused by the news, but vowed that he would continue to give the team his all despite the difficult circumstances.

"It's hard to say how I feel," admitted Panarin. "I’m still confused, but the GM decided to go in a different direction. I'm okay with that. I’m a Ranger player right now, so I’ll play every game 100%."

Panarin was pressed again about his future but he quickly changed the subject and made it clear there would be no further comments.

"I actually said everything I want to say about this situation," said Panarin. "Let's talk about hockey."

When pressed once more, Panarin shut it down entirely.

"I’m trying to be smart for once in my life," he concluded.

It sounds like Panarin may not be happy with the sudden pivot from the Rangers and, given that he has a full no movement clause, it will be very interesting to see how this all plays out.