Rangers Smacked By Reality Of Business With Panarin Trade

The Rangers finally traded Artemi Panarin, and fans, understandably, were underwhelmed.

But here's the thing: this is what should've been expected all along. This is what happens when you have a rental player that can dictate where he wants to go, and ultimately decides on one and only one team. That's the business of the National Hockey League. The fewer suitors for your player, the less leverage you have, and ultimately the less you're going to get in return.

The Blueshirts ultimately traded Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday, just ahead of the NHL's pre-Olympics roster freeze, for conditional third- and fourth-round picks and forward prospect Liam Greentree. Frank Seravalli posted the full details of the deal, along with some important context: at the end of the day, Panarin and his camp decided that the Kings were the only team on the table. Ostensibly, the Kings knew this.

At that point, the Rangers were hamstrung. L.A. wasn't about to ship off first-round picks and top prospects for a player they knew wouldn't play or sign an extension anywhere else. Especially when that extension turned out to be only two years with an $11 million AAV, a bridge deal with a pay-cut.

With that in mind, the Rangers should almost be relieved that the conditional picks could turn into a second and a third, if the Kings win two playoff rounds (they only need to win one round to turn the third into a second). Greentree, a 2024 first-round pick, is still just 20 years old with untapped upside.

Of course Panarin, who is on pace for 87 points this season, is worth a first-round pick and multiple prospects. The Bruins got that for Brandon Carlo a year ago. They got a similar package to Panarin's back for Charlie Coyle.

But speaking of the Bruins ... they also fell victim to the reality of business in the NHL just last year, when they shipped Brad Marchand to Florida. Marchand would only approve a trade to the Panthers, and so GM Don Sweeney had no choice but to take a conditional second-round pick that only became a first after the Panthers reached the Stanley Cup Final.

The Rangers just suffered the same fate. They could've gotten a haul for Panarin had multiple teams been in the picture. But once Panarin decided it was Los Angeles or nothing, Chris Drury had to take what he could get.

And that's business.