Report: Rangers won’t re-sign Panarin, will work with him on a trade
It seems star winger Artemi Panarin’s time with the New York Rangers will soon reach a sensible end.
According to Elliotte Friedman, the Rangers will not attempt to re-sign the pending unrestricted free agent, and will instead seek a trade to send Panarin to another team of his approval.
Artemi Panarin: https://t.co/KiAfaghm30
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) January 16, 2026This report comes just after Rangers general manager Chris Drury released a letter to the fans, signaling that the team would be entering a “retool” focused on acquiring young players and prospects. Moving the 34-year-old Panarin, who is in the final season of a seven-year, $81.5 million deal, would be the most obvious step in that process.
While it’s been a bitterly disappointing season for the Rangers, Panarin is having another typically productive offensive year. Through 47 games, the Russian national has 16 goals and 35 assists for 51 points. He is New York’s leading scorer, eight points clear of center Mika Zibanejad, and immediately becomes the biggest fish in the NHL’s trade market.
Last season, Panarin had 37 goals and 52 assists for 89 points in 80 games.
Drury reportedly met personally with Panarin to discuss the team’s “retool” plans, and also approached other players with no-movement or no-trade clauses in their contracts to see if they’d rather go to another team or embrace the Rangers’ longer-term vision.
Other players with no-movement clauses were asked how they feel about the "retool" plan and whether they'd be open to sticking around for it or would rather go elsewhere. Dialogue has begun for any who may be willing to waive, according to two sources. #NYR https://t.co/MDG6SreXXI
— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) January 16, 2026Other than Panarin, Rangers players with no-movement, no-trade, or modified no-trade clauses include forwards Zibanejad, J.T. Miller, Alexis Lafreniere, Vincent Trocheck, along with defensemen Vladislav Gavrikov, William Borgen, Carson Soucy, and Adam Fox.
In Drury’s letter, he mentioned building around the team’s “core players”. While he didn’t specify who those players are, it’s easy to imagine the Rangers viewing goaltender Igor Shesterkin as a foundational piece for the franchise, as Henrik Lundqvist was for so long in the Big Apple.