Artemi Panarin’s Desired Trade Spots Covered In New Report

The Artemi Panarin trade rumors continue to fly across the hockey world, and a new report sheds light on the star winger's potential destinations.

Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic laid out a fresh list of the teams to watch for a potential Panarin trade on Tuesday. This could even develop between the time of this writing and the NHL's OIympic roster freeze, which goes into effect at 3 p.m. EST on Thursday. According to Mercogliano, Panarin's "top choices if they can swing the extension" are the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Further down the list, but in better position to lock Panarin up long-term, are the Carolina Hurricanes and Los Angeles Kings.

On the Rangers' side, the teams considered to have the best possible trade packages are the Washington Capitals and San Jose Sharks. Panarin has a full no movement clause in his contract, so he would have to approve a trade to any of the aforementioned clubs.

The Panthers and Lightning would certainly have the cap room to fit a Panarin extension in the 2027-28 season and beyond, but bringing him in over the next season-plus would be tricky. The Hurricanes and Kings have needed an impact scoring wing for years, which makes them the most logical destinations from the standpoint of balancing financials and roster needs.

As for the Rangers themselves, it sounds like they'd prefer a deal with the Caps or Sharks due to what they'd be getting in return. Washington is aggressively pursuing Panarin and willing to do what it takes to make the extension work, according to Elliotte Friedman.

However, it also seems that the Caps would have to pay something of a "northeast tax" to land Panarin. The winger's top-4 choices are all warm-climate cities, and three of them are favorable in terms of state taxes (or lack thereof).

The Rangers are working to make a Panarin deal happen ahead of Wednesday's 3 p.m. EST Olympic roster freeze, which will prevent all teams from making any trades from Feb. 4-22. The actual trade deadline falls on March 6 at 3 p.m. EST, but an early trade would give Panarin a whole extra month to acclimate himself with his new team and city.