The Washington Capitals were reported to be one of the front-runners in trade talks for New York Rangers winger Artemi Panarin earlier this week. Now, more details have been shared about the price the Rangers may demand for the star forward.
Hockey insider Elliotte Friedman made his weekly appearance on Sportsnet’s Saturday Headlines with Ron MacLean and reported that the Rangers are looking to secure a similar return for Panarin that the New York Islanders got for forward Brock Nelson last year.
“[Panarin] is obviously the name that everybody is kinda focused on right now,” Friedman said. “If you’ll remember last year, Brock Nelson was traded from the Islanders to Colorado, and the trade was for Cal Ritchie, a first-rounder, and a conditional third. There were other players involved, but those were the key pieces, and it sounds like that’s where the Rangers’ starting point is with Panarin right now.”
The full trade saw Nelson and minor-league winger William Dufour sent to Colorado for Cal Ritchie, defenseman Oliver Kylington, a top-10 protected 2026 first-round pick, and a 2028 conditional third-round pick. For the Islanders to receive the third-round pick, the Avalanche would have had to win the 2025 Stanley Cup, which they did not.
Ritchie was Colorado’s first-round pick, 27th overall, in the 2023 NHL Draft. A similar return from a Capitals perspective would likely see a prospect like Terik Parascak or Lynden Lakovic sent to the Rangers, and the Capitals do own their first-round picks for the next four drafts, as well as their third-round picks in 2028 and 2029.
In Nelson’s case, the trade did not include an immediate extension with the Avalanche, as he signed his next contract with Colorado this past June. Friedman indicated that the price for Panarin could change if a team reaches an agreement with him as part of his upcoming move.
“Now, part of this is also, will he be willing to sign an extension? Are there places?” Friedman said. “He has a no-move clause, so he controls where he goes, but I think some of the teams are wondering, could there be an extension as part of this? I think some of the teams that are looking around: Anaheim, Panarin has a history with Joel Quenneville. I think LA has some decisions to make about their overall situation, where they are right now, where they truly are as a franchise, and what an extension would look like. I think Washington with an extension.
“I think there’s a bunch of other teams. I’m always conceding that I’m missing teams that are in on this, but I think that’s kinda where the market starts. The trade talk starts, and some of the teams are trying to figure out what Panarin is willing to do.”
Previous reporting from insider Frank Seravalli outlined that Panarin, 34, is believed to be seeking an extension that would take him into his age-40 season. Panarin has 56 points (19g, 37a) in 50 games for the Rangers this season and has recorded 80-or-more points in seven of his last eight seasons.
Trade activity in the NHL is expected to pick up ahead of the league’s Olympic-break roster freeze at 3 pm on February 4. Business is not permitted to resume until 11:59 pm on February 22, and the NHL’s official trade deadline is set for 3 pm on March 6.
