The Artemi Panarin sweepstakes are heating up, and with the NHL trade deadline just under six weeks away, the New York Rangers and GM Chris Drury are staring down a pivotal stretch. The Blueshirts appear to be leaning into a retool, and Panarin - one of the league’s most dynamic offensive weapons - is at the center of it all.
Plenty of the usual suspects have surfaced as potential landing spots: Colorado, Florida, Minnesota, Carolina, Dallas, even Washington. But there’s one team flying just under the radar that might be more of a serious contender than many realize - the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Yes, Tampa. The same Lightning team that’s been a postseason fixture for the better part of a decade.
The same group that’s fighting to keep its Stanley Cup window cracked open as its core ages. And according to Rangers insider Johnny Lazarus, the Bolts might just be the best fit for Panarin right now.
“I feel like it’s Tampa,” Lazarus said during a recent appearance on Daily Faceoff Live. “Their window’s probably closing more than it’s opening, but they’re still incredibly competitive.
Hedman’s on the back nine, Vasilevskiy’s getting older, and they just added Jake Guentzel. Brayden Point’s hurt, but they’re still stacked.
If you add Panarin to that roster - that’s a scary team.”
It’s hard to argue with that logic. Panarin, now 34, is still producing at an elite level - 56 points (19 goals, 37 assists) in 51 games so far this season.
He’s in the final year of the seven-year, $81.5 million deal he signed with the Rangers back in 2019, and he’s set to hit unrestricted free agency this summer. That makes him not just a high-end rental, but a potential game-changer for a team on the brink of another deep playoff run.
So how could Tampa, a team with virtually no cap space, actually make this work?
It’s a fair question - and surprisingly, there’s a plausible path. One scenario involves sending fellow pending UFA Oliver Bjorkstrand and his $5.4 million cap hit to New York. If the Rangers retain 50% of Panarin’s salary, his cap hit drops to just over $5.8 million, which would nearly balance the books.
Of course, it wouldn’t end there. Tampa GM Julien BriseBois would need to sweeten the pot with picks and/or prospects.
The Lightning don’t have a first-round pick until 2028, but they do still hold all of their second-rounders. Prospects like Conor Geekie and Sam O’Reilly could also be part of the conversation - both are intriguing enough to catch the Rangers’ attention as they look to restock the pipeline.
And then there’s the biggest X-factor in all of this: Panarin’s full no-movement clause. He controls where he goes - if he goes anywhere at all.
But Tampa Bay checks a lot of boxes. They’re a legitimate contender.
They play in a no-tax, warm-weather market. And they’ve got a pair of Russian stars in Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy who could make the transition seamless for Panarin.
Let’s not forget, back in 2019, there were strong whispers that Tampa was high on Panarin’s list before he ultimately chose New York. That history, combined with the Lightning’s current urgency to maximize their aging core, makes this a storyline worth watching closely.
Panarin isn’t just another name on the trade block. He’s a franchise-altering talent - and if Tampa finds a way to land him, it could be the kind of move that shifts the balance of power in the Eastern Conference.