Report: Panarin informs interested teams that’s he’s a rental player, nothing more

For the past year  all signs have pointed to Russian superstar Artemi Panarin leaving the Columbus Blue Jackets for free agency in search of a HUGE payday in the 2019 offseason. 

Last week Panarin, via agent Dan Milstein, released a statement on Twitter re-iterating that he’s unwilling to negotiate a new contract in-season.

Check it out:

Now Panarin’s agent has come forward and informed any team who is interested in acquiring Panarin ahead of the NHL’s February 25th trade deadline that he is a PURE rental and will NOT consider signing an extension prior to July 1st, 2019.

According to an NHL source, Panarin’s agent Dan Milstein is making it clear that Panarin has every intention of going to the market on July 1 and that teams should be aware that “he’s going as a rental, at best.”

So… what’s the plan now? Does CBJ GM Jarmo Kekkalainen hold ‘em or fold ‘em?

“We’re going to have to weigh the decision in front of us, as far as what’s out there in the marketplace,” Kekalainen said. “The example from last year … we had offers for (pending UFAs) Jack Johnson and Matt Calvert and we decided to keep them, because we thought that’s what’s best for our team in the short-term, and the long-term benefits of trading them weren’t good enough. It’s the same way in these situations.”

It certainly sounds like, one way or another, the clock is ticking on Panarin’s time in Columbus, but will they keep him for a playoff run? And if not, will the return be worth it given that he’s just a rental player?