As we all sit and discuss the best trade partners for Artemi Panarin, Chris Drury is hopefully collecting offers and taking the best possible value. There’s a big difference between the best possible value and taking “what fits the retool,” which is the biggest concern about Drury running this retool. It appears he wants to thread an impossible needle, which likely means taking what he thinks turns the team around in a year or two instead of extracting as much value as possible for Panarin and others. So finding the best trade destination for Artemi Panarin is a tough task.
Per Vince Mercogliano, there are five teams truly in it for Panarin: Carolina, LA, Washington, Tampa, and Florida. Frank Seravalli added that Panarin has quietly expressed a desire to go to Dallas. All six teams offer different types of returns, ranging from best value (San Jose) to “quickest turnaround” (one of the Florida teams).
Trade partners for Artemi Panarin with the best returns
The best possible returns do come from San Jose and maybe Washington, though San Jose has far more pure skill than the Caps. If we assume Panarin signs an extension and the Rangers retain 50% on this year, then his trade value skyrockets. This is where both teams become the best trade partners for Artemi Panarin, as they have the most young skill to offer.
Washington would likely only want Panarin and not package things with other players. I talked about this on Blue Seats After Dark, as Washington could offer one of the Protas brothers (Aliaksei or Ilya), as both seem to fit the mold both Drury and Mike Sullivan want: Big bodies that can skate, play a grittier style, forecheck hard, and score. Aliaksei is in the NHL now in a top-six role and has already turned in a 30 goal, 65 point performance. He’s on pace for about the same this year. He’s 6’6 and 250 lbs and 25 years old. But let’s be real, he’s not going to be available in this kind of trade.
In terms of NHL forwards, Justin Sourdif seems to finally be turning a corner as an NHL player. Though his ceiling is, at best, a third liner.
Ilya, six years Aliaksei’s junior, is the same size as his brother, just 25 lbs lighter at the moment. The former third round pick in 2024 put up a wild 124 points in the OHL last season and has transitioned well to the AHL with 17 goals and 35 points through 42 games. It’s unlikely Aliaksei would be in any Panarin trade, but Ilya has a high enough ceiling to be a key piece in a Panarin return.
As for defense prospects, the conversation starts with Cole Hutson. Hutson, a 2024 2nd round pick, is lighting up Hockey East and is over a point per game as a defenseman. It’s tough to imagine Washington parting with Hutson, but Panarin extended and 50% retained is significant, especially to the only in-division and one of the many in-conference trade partners for Artemi Panarin.
Possible trade: Panarin (extension, 50% retained this year) for Ilya Protas, Cole Hutson, 2027 1st round pick (top-10 protected).
San Jose offers package deal possibilities with Braden Schneider
San Jose as one of the trade partners for Artemi Panarin has already been discussed, and it’s likely the Rangers are able to pull in William Eklund and a 2026 1st round pick that is top-10 protected. This also assumes an extension and the Rangers retaining 50% on this year.
But when Braden Schneider’s name is added as a package, things get interesting quickly. It’s not enough to land Will Smith or Michael Misa, so come back down to Earth. But that’s enough to add one of Quentin Musty or Igor Chernyshov plus another piece or two. Luca Cagnoni is their top defense prospect outside of Sam Dickinson and Shakir Mukhamadullin. As a young LHD, that might be the ask.
Spitballing: I wonder if there’s value in taking on Logan Couture’s contract to help San Jose add in the short term.
Possible trade: Panarin (extension, 50% retained this year), Schneider for Eklund, Musty, Cagnoni, 2026 1st (EDM), Logan Couture’s contract.
Florida and Tampa would have to shed salary
The teams that make little sense to me as trade partners for Artemi Panarin are both Florida teams. Panarin naturally wants to join his friend Sergei Bobrovsky with the Panthers, but the only way this works for the Rangers–again assuming Panarin is extended before the trade–is if they include Anton Lundell in the trade which I just don’t see them doing. They’d also need to move Evan Rodrigues before the trade is done, or include him in the trade to offset salary. Mackie Samoskevich would need to be included in the trade, but Florida only has their 2028 1st round pick.
Possible trade: Panarin (50% retained, extension) for Lundell, Samoskevich, multiple 2nd round picks
Tampa is in an even worse situation, as they’d have to include Oliver Bjorkstrand’s $5.4 million this season to make the salaries work, plus Gage Gonclaves as the “centerpiece” of the deal, which just simply isn’t good enough. Tampa only has their 2028 1st round pick as well. Unless Tampa offers a bounty of prospects, I can’t see them as one of the viable trade partners for Artemi Panarin. Conor Geekie would be the centerpiece here.
Possible trade: Panarin (50% retained, extension) for Geekie, Gonclaves, multiple 2nd round picks
Carolina and LA offer a mix of both
LA can’t score to save their lives, and has been floated as a possible change of scenery trade with Quinton Byfield and Alexis Lafreniere. But that doesn’t solve their scoring issues, only adds to them. LA could offer up Brandt Clarke as their only skilled NHL player truly available. Samuel Helenius projects as a tall and thin 4C at best. Alex Laferriere has been floated, but I just don’t see LA trading skilled forwards at the moment. Alex Turcotte has very little upside.
Possible trade: Panarin (50% retained, extension) for Clarke, Helenius, 2026 1st, 2028 1st.
Carolina is an interesting prospect as one of the preferred trade partners for Artemi Panarin. They’d have to include Jesperi Kotkaniemi in the deal. He’s not good so this would be a dump for Carolina, upping the return cost. Alexander Nikishin is the prize here, and the only realistic NHLer that makes sense for Carolina to dangle for Panarin unless they are willing to move someone like Jackson Blake or Logan Stankoven, which I don’t see happening.
Possible trade: Panarin (50% retained, extension) for Nikishin, Kotkaniemi, 2027 1st
Dallas only makes sense for Jason Robertson
In terms of trade partners for Artemi Panarin, only one destination has the possibility to make all other teams turn heads, and that’s Dallas. There’s little Dallas can offer outside of Jason Robertson, who still hasn’t re-signed and Dallas has started to float his name in rumors.
Robertson would be the only player the Rangers need to add to Panarin to get the trade done.
Possible trade: Panarin (50% retained, extension) and Braden Schneider for Robertson, sweetener.
Possible trade to entice Robertson: Brennan Othmann to Toronto for Nick Robertson.
Finding trade partners for Artemi Panarin isn’t the hard part, it’s finding something that extracts the most value. The trade partners for Artemi Panarin that offer the most value are clearly San Jose and Washington. The trade parners for Artemi Panarin that fit Drury’s “one year turnaround” are Florida and maybe Carolina, with Dallas as the obvious exception. Tampa just doesn’t make sense.
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