Where Should The New York Rangers Go Now?

"Everyone was wrong about the New York Rangers. While everyone (including us) expected them to be a playoff team the Rangers have since "flown the white flag". By that we mean they sent their fans a note that signified a "retool" (aka a diet rebuild). Rangers fans should be tired of these letters, whenever they come out nothing good happens. Then again when they play at Madison Square Garden nothing good has been happening either."

"All signs point to Artemi Panarin, who is a pending unrestricted free agent and a hot commodity in this year's free agency class. Considering most other top free agents (Kirill Kaprisov, Jack Eichel and Connor McDavid) already signed extensions to avoid reaching free agency the demand for Panarin only became more competitive. Eager teams might pay a premium to get him for the rest of this season instead of waiting for July 1st."

"There's the usual suspect Florida Panthers. They already had success with a plug and play high scoring Russian with Vladimir Tarasenko en route to one of their cup championships, Panarin is a better playmaker and can help fill the void of scoring left by the injured Aleksander Barkov. The seemingly resurgent Anaheim Ducks could be a dark horse contender because of Panarin's previous relationship with head coach Joel Quenneville from their time with the Chicago Blackhawks."

The New York Rangers signaled a retool or "diet rebuild," effectively ending realistic playoff contention this season and disappointing fans amid poor play at Madison Square Garden. The front office hinted at trading players, with Artemi Panarin identified as the most likely trade candidate given his pending unrestricted free agent status and heightened demand after other top free agents signed extensions. Contending teams may pay a premium to acquire Panarin now rather than wait until July 1. Potential suitors include the Florida Panthers, the Anaheim Ducks as a dark horse, and the habitually active Vegas Golden Knights.

Read at Puck Prose