Questionable offer on the table for Artemi Panarin

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman dropped an intriguing nugget this week in his 32 Thoughts podcast on Sportsnet about the New York Rangers and star winger Artemi Panarin. According to Friedman, the team has already floated the idea of Panarin following in Anze Kopitar’s footsteps by taking less money on his next deal to help the Rangers stay competitive.

“the Kings went to him and said “we need you take a little bit less”; at some point this offseason the Rangers had that kind of a conceptual discussion with Panarin; I don’t know where that’s going to go.”

Panarin’s current contract, a team-high $11.643 million AAV, comes off the books at the end of this season. While the cap is set to rise from $95.5 million in 2025-26 to $104 million in 2026-27, the Rangers are looking ahead to what could be a pivotal free-agent market in the summer of 2026. That crop of potential stars includes Jack Eichel, Kirill Kaprizov, and, most notably, Connor McDavid, widely considered the best player in the world. There is a sense across the league that New York would be willing to make a splash to land McDavid or one of the others superstars pending free agents, though that’s easier said than done.

But, with that in mind, the Rangers are reportedly exploring whether Panarin would consider a pay cut to stay in New York. It’s a move similar to the one Kopitar made with the Los Angeles Kings, signing a two-year, $14 million extension in 2023, a deal that gave L.A. more flexibility and allowed Kopitar to finish his career on a team-friendly contract.

For now, though, New York isn’t rushing to make a decision. Panarin turns 34 at the end of October, and the front office appears content to keep its options open while weighing a massive summer of possibilities down the road.