RUMOR: Artemi Panarin open to signing a contract extension with the Sharks

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
RUMOR: Artemi Panarin open to signing a contract extension with the Sharks
Credit: Twitter screenshot

Clearly, Artemi Panarin is becoming a priority issue in the NHL.

After all, if the Rangers don't want Panarin to play between now and the Olympics, it's not simply to bring him back into the lineup at the end of February.

In fact, this tells us that he hasprobably playedhis last game in a Rangers jersey.

It's safe to assume that a trade is imminent. Otherwise, the Rangers might have waited a bit longer before removing their star player from the lineup until further notice.

We wouldn't impose that situation on players—unless Chris Drury is an even worse manager than we thought.

What you need to know is that Panarin is unlikely to become a free agent this summer. Because, in reality, a trade could well come with a contract extension.

Instead of playing these days, Panarin is probably more in the process of negotiating to find out which team he will waive his no-trade clause for, but also what kind of contract he could sign.

So which teams should we be watching?

Until proven otherwise, I refuse to take the Panthers out of the running. It would be his team of choice, and we know that Bill Zito has the tools to work magic with certain contracts.

But otherwise, who should we be watching?

An interesting candidate has been brought to the table by journalist Sheng Peng: the Sharks.The journalist, who covers the California club, has written an article on the subject.

Basically, he says that even though we know the Russian would prefer to stay in the East, he would like to sign (at the right price, I imagine) a contract extension in San Jose.

This would be a major turnaround, considering that the Sharks have a bright future but are not Stanley Cup contenders this season.

If the money were on the table and the Rangers liked the offer on their table, the bosses in San Jose would have a strong argument to convince Panarin to sign: playing with Macklin Celebrini.

Few clubs have a player of that caliber on their roster, in fact.

I'm not saying this is the most likely option, but I'm intrigued. Especially since the SJ Hockey Now reporter says the player would be open to it. He's not using phrases like, “I wonder if, maybe, potentially, and if the stars align…”

So, stay tuned. After all, it's also possible that the Sharks are being used to drive up the bidding elsewhere.


Overtime

– Speaking of the Rangers.

– Interesting.

– Worth reading.

– Ouch.

– Good news.

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