NHL Insider Weighs in on What’s Next for NY Rangers’ Artemi Panarin originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The New York Rangers are facing a pivotal decision with star forward Artemi Panarin.
The Russian winger, the highest-paid left wing currently under contract, is entering the final year of his seven-year, $81.5 million contract with New York.
According to NHL insider Frank Seravalli, reporting for B/R Open Ice on Tuesday, the franchise and the player should find common ground on an extension before Panarin hits the open market next summer.
If that doesn’t happen, however, the Rangers will need to decide whether to trade him before the deadline or let him go in the offseason, thus losing him for nothing.
Is Artemi Panarin the greatest free agent signing of all time? And will the Breadman stay in New York? 🤔🍞
(w/ @frank_seravalli) pic.twitter.com/ZVlF9NZ6HG
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) July 22, 2025
“Is Artemi Panarin one of the best free agent signings of all time?” Seravalli said. “If you look at his contract, if you look at his AAV, if you look at his production, and how he also lifted the New York Rangers from a team that was rebuilding…it fit their cap picture.”
Panarin, 33, has exceeded expectations since signing his record-setting deal in 2019. Although his production dropped last season, he posted a career-best 49 goals and 120 points in the 2023–24 campaign.
Despite the consistency Panarin has shown in New York, Seravalli noted that a resolution is far from guaranteed.
“I’d have to think that there’s a way to work out a new deal for the Breadman,” Seravalli said.
What that deal might look like remains unclear, as it might range from a short-term deal that allows Panarin to hit the market again before retiring, or a long-term, lower-money contract to keep him within the Rangers organization through his retirement.
As reported by Arthur Staple of The Athletic earlier this summer, only three players are considered untouchable by the Rangers, including Panarin.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 24, 2025, where it first appeared.