Rumor: Two NHL superstars headed to New York.

Two huge names headed to New York?

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 5 years ago
Rumor: Two NHL superstars headed to New York.
Kevin Schultz/CSM/Zuma

It seems like the New York Rangers may be headed for a very accelerated rebuild. 

Last season the Rangers made a very bold and very public announcement when they revealed to their fans that they would be entering a rebuild of their roster. True to their word the Rangers made some drastic changes to their roster just weeks following the release of that public statement and the team has gotten considerably younger and less experienced since making those changes. 

The Rangers rebuild however may not last nearly as long as their fans, or perhaps even the organization itself, were expecting and that may be due to the significant interest of 2 big name free agents set to hit the open market this summer. I'm sure it comes as very little surprise to learn that star forward Artemi Panarin has reportedly selected the Rangers as his number 1 destination this upcoming summer, although that has only been reported as rumor and never officially confirmed, a move that could make him a very rich man indeed.

“I think it’d be a prime landing spot for Artemi Panarin. We had his agent on this morning, actually, on Leafs Lunch. Now, we didn’t talk about him going to the Rangers, of course.”

“I tweeted this earlier this season,” recalled insider Pierre LeBrun as per Nichols on Hockey. “And I think I said $10 million to $11 million was what they would ask for. But Dan Milstein would not confirm that publicly at all.”

Now that Panarin is being linked to the Rangers comes as no surprise, but LeBrun also connected another huge name to the Rangers during his radio hit and needless to say this would be a blockbuster signing.

“But my point is the Rangers have a shot at him this summer, and if Panarin does go to the market, New York would absolutely fit, I think, the criteria for the type of place Panarin would look at. What about Erik Karlsson if he doesn’t sign in San Jose. Good pals with Henrik Lundqvist.”

There may be more to this than signing just a superstar defenseman to the Rangers roster as well. LeBrun hinted in his comments at the fact that the potential of adding a player like Karlsson to the roster, again a good friend of Lundqvist's, could potentially keep the veteran netminder happy in New York in spite of the team's current lack of success, relatively speaking.

“So I think that’s what I would remind Lundqvist, if I were the Rangers, that just get through the next few months here. That there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Not to mention a lot of good, young players on that Rangers team.” 

Adding Karlsson would be a giant move, as would adding Panarin, but adding both in a single offseason could completely change the fortunes of the Rangers franchise moving forward. Whether or not this will actually come to pass is another matter entirely but there is very little doubt that this will likely have Ranger fans salivating at the prospect of it being made reality.

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