One way or another, Artemi Panarin’s days with the Rangers are numbered.
The star forward was informed by GM Chris Drury that he will not be offered a contract extension, according to noti.group’s Mollie Walker.
The news comes on the heels of Drury’s letter informing fans that he intends to “retool” the roster in the midst of a lost season that sees the Blueshirts mired in last place in the Eastern Conference on the heels of five straight losses.
Panarin, the centerpiece of the Rangers’ last letter-prefaced retool, is in the final season of a seven-year, $81.5 million deal. He’s found himself in the middle of the rumor mill this season.
Complicating matters for Drury is that Panarin has a full no-move clause, which could hamper the ability to trade him for assets.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Drury is “prepared to work with [Panarin] and agent Paul Theofanous to trade the winger anywhere he wishes to go.”
The 34-year-old struggled to begin the season, admitting to The Post that it was due to his uncertain future.
He did not refute the notion he was considering heading home to Russia at season’s end.
“I mean, you never know,” Panarin told The Post in November. “Hard to say right now. It’s a very hard question to be honest. I can’t comment on the side of life, you never know what’s happening.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
