NHL trade rumors: Insider "starting to hear whispers" about $81,499,999 NY Rangers star as team looks to retool core

The New York Rangers are facing a crucial offseason as they look to bounce back from a disappointing 2024-25 campaign.

Looking to shake things up, the Rangers have already made a major move by bringing in Mike Sullivan as their new head coach, replacing the recently fired Peter Laviolette. But it looks like more changes could still be coming.

According to NHL insider David Pagnotta, the team may be considering some significant changes to their core, including the potential trade of star forward Artemi Panarin, who signed a seven-year, $81,499,999 contract in 2019.

“In the last few days, I’m starting to hear interesting whispers about Artemi Panarin. I don’t know if he’s fully available, but he’s got one year left on his contract," Pagnotta said on The Fourth Period. (3:20 onwards)

"They’ve got to decide if they’re going to continue with the group they’ve got or if they can move Panarin, get a big return, and utilize that cap space and capital to rejig this roster. I don’t know if that’s the path they’ll take. This may be premature."

The Rangers missed the playoffs this season, wrapping up with a 39-36-7 record—just six points shy of the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. It was a noticeable drop-off from last year, when they topped the league and took home the Presidents’ Trophy.

David Pagnotta on Rangers’ potential trade candidates

David Pagnotta pointed out that New York has only $9.6 million in cap space and still needs to re-sign several important restricted free agents, like defenseman K'Andre Miller and forward Will Cuylle. That likely means the team will have to make some tough choices to clear more room and reshape the roster.

"Don’t be surprised to hear Chris Kreider’s name out there again.Don’t be surprised to hear Mika Zibanejad’s name out there, even with a full no-movement clause.” Pagnotta said.

According to Pagnotta, New York could look to move on from some of their core players to retool the team for the upcoming season, utilizing their cap space and other assets with major trade moves.