Panarin responds to Panthers rumors, “They have no fans.”

Columbus Blue Jackets fans have been bracing for the departure of Artemi Panarin for months now. The pending unrestricted free agent has been notoriously silent about his future and has refused to negotiate an extension with the Blue Jackets all season long. 

Multiple NHL insiders have linked Panarin to the New York Rangers and, more recently, to the Florida Panthers. The belief is that Panarin would like to take his game to a warmer locale and the fact that Florida has no state income tax makes the Panthers a perfect fit. Well… don’t rush out and get your Bread Man jerseys just yet Panthers fans.

According to the transcript of a third hand, unverified Instagram Live video with Panarin, he doesn’t sound too interested in joining the Panthers.

The full transcript of Panarin’s video can be found on a Reddit thread here. But the most intriguing part is below:

Fans say come to play with Dadonov, and Panarin says that Florida has no fans in the stands

Ouch. Well… he ain’t lying.