Artemi Panarin got to tell his side of the story just about 24 hours after being traded from the New York Rangers to the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday.
Going into the 2025 offseason, the growing sentiment was that the Rangers would sign Panarin to a contract extension before he hit the open market in 2026.
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However, as multiple other marquee players signed contract extensions with their respective teams, including Connor McDavid, Kirill Kaprizov, and Jack Eichel, Panarin was left as the odd man out, unsigned past the 2025-26 campaign by the Rangers.
With the Rangers struggling through the first months of the season, speculation about the team trading Panarin grew.
Once Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury issued a letter on Jan. 16 outlining the franchises’ intentions to retool the roster, it also came out that the team did not intend to re-sign Panarin and would look to trade him before the March 6 NHL Trade Deadline.
Upon being traded to Los Angeles, Panarin quickly signed a two-year $22 million contract with the Kings.
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Panarin revealed that the Rangers were reluctant to sign him over the summer and that there wasn’t a whole lot of dialogue between his camp and the Rangers regarding a contract extension over the course of the season.
“We talked about contract a little bit, but I feel like this offer said ‘we’re not sure we want you or not.’ That’s why I’m not signed,” Panarin emphasized.
It was when the Rangers went through their dreadful stretch in January that Panarin knew that his time in New York may be coming to an end.
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“I feel like maybe 15 games ago when we started losing everything [I realized] it was possible [to get traded],” Panarin said. “And then when we lost to Boston like 10-1 or something like that, I would say that I already understood that even if Chris wanted to give me a deal, he probably can’t now because we’re kind of struggling here the whole team and we probably need some changes.”
The Panarin sweepstakes truly began to pick up steam when he was held out of the lineup due to roster management on Jan. 28.
Multiple teams were reportedly interested in acquiring the 34-year-old forward, including the Carolina Hurricanes, Washington Capitals, and Seattle Kraken.
Ultimately, Panarin pinpointed the Kings as his preferred destination, and with the power of his no-move clause, Drury was only given the green light to trade him to Los Angeles.
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It was through conversations with Vladislav Gavrikov that helped guide Panarin toward Los Angeles.
“I was not ready to pick a team where I didn’t want to go,” Panarin said. “I probably (would have gone) to Russia if L.A. didn’t give me anything… I just want to play for these guys.”
The Rangers’ signing of Panarin in 2019 to a seven-year, $81 million contract is widely considered to be the franchise’s greatest free-agent signing.
In seven seasons with the Blueshirts, Panarin recorded 205 goals, 402 assists, and 607 points. In a city full of stars and celebrities, the Russian superstar was able to stand out and etch his mark in The Big Apple.
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Panarin embraced the New York spotlight, and he’ll now take center stage in Hollywood, but not before reminiscing on his time with the Rangers organization.
“It’s a lot of good memories,” Panarin said. “We always had a great group of guys here, too. Pretty good atmosphere. … Find a lot of friends here. Obviously that’s a great organization, too. New York Rangers, Original Six team, huge history. I was pretty proud to play for these guys, for this jersey. Thank you very much to the fans.”
