At a time in NHL contractual history when unrestricted free agents are forecasted to command record-breaking deals, the New York Rangers have reportedly asked their pending UFA to head in the opposite direction for the sake of the team.
But it seems that Artemi Panarin has no interest in doing that.
With the recent passage of the new collective bargaining agreement, the NHL’s long-stagnant salary cap is finally on the rise — jumping from $88 million in 2024-25 to $113.5 million by 2027-28. And with more money in the system, teams and players alike are bracing for a wave of mega-contracts that could reshape free agency as we know it.
At least, that’s what is expected for most players who are entering the last season on their current deal. Players like Connor McDavid, Kirill Kaprizov, Jack Eichel, Kyle Connor … pundits are anticipating a round of contracts with AAVs exceeding $16 million.
However, according to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, the Rangers were hoping that Panarin would actually consider downsizing. During Thursday’s episode of Sportsnet’s “32 Thoughts” podcast, Friedman reported that team officials recently approached Panarin to ask if he would be willing to make an Anze Kopitar-like concession to help the team.
Rangers Reportedly Ask Artemi Panarin to Accept Hometown Discount
In 2023-24, with Kopitar entering the final season of his eight-year, $80 million contract, the Los Angeles Kings asked their superstar captain to sign a two-year extension for $14 million, dropping his AAV be $3 million so the team could use more of its cap space to improve in other areas. Kopitar, who over the weekend announced that he would retire after this season, agreed.
But Friedman cited sources indicating that Panarin, who is entering the final season of the seven-year, $81,499,999 contract he signed to join the Rangers in 2019, has seemingly ignored a request from the Rangers for him to follow Kopitar’s example.
“I understand, at some point in the offseason, the Rangers had that kind of conceptual conversation with Panarin: ‘Is there a way you could do for the Rangers what Kopitar did for the Kings?’” Friedman said. “Obviously, at this point and time, it hasn’t happened. I don’t know where that’s going to go, I don’t know if that’s going to be a possibility, but I do know the two sides had the conversation and, obviously, at this point, Panarin is unsigned.”
Since joining the Rangers, Artemi Panarin hasn’t just been a top-line winger — he’s been the central narrative, the engine, the piece around which everything else spins.
Artemi Panarin Has Become Rangers’ Identity Since Joining Team in 2019
In 430 games with New York, Panarin has posted 186 goals, 364 assists, and a +84 rating. He’s been the team’s offensive heartbeat, consistently leading or ranking among the Rangers’ top scorers year after year.
Panarin’s 2023–24 season was the apex of that output — a staggering 49 goals and 120 points, cementing his place among the elite wingers in league history. Even last season, as the team faltered at times, he racked up 37 goals and 52 assists, totaling 89 points.
But more than numbers, Panarin brings identity. He’s the one the opposition prepares for. He’s the one the coach leans on in tense moments. He’s the one whose presence elevates those around him.
Which is why the notion that New York quietly asked him to take a step back — to concede to the team’s need over his own — stings so badly. To ask your top scorer to downscale, especially in this era of exploding caps and escalating contracts, is to gamble with your own trajectory.
If Panarin walks at season’s end, the Rangers lose more than a point-producer. They lose the axis of their competitive identity. They lose negotiating leverage in their own locker room. They lose the blueprint for building through free agency in this new age. And they give every rival reason to believe: sometimes the biggest loss happens off the ice.
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