Friday afternoon, Rangers President & GM Chris Drury released a letter to the team’s fans stating “no one in the organization is happy with what has transpired,” bringing New York to “a retool built around our core players and prospects.”
“This will not be a rebuild,” the letter added.
According to several sources, before releasing the letter, Drury met individually with members of the leadership group and addressed the team as a whole. As part of this retool process, Artemi Panarin was informed that he will not be offered a contract extension, and that Drury was prepared to work with him and agent Paul Theofanous to trade the winger anywhere he wishes to go.
Neither Drury nor Theofanous could be reached for comment.
Panarin has a full no-move clause and could, in theory, play out the season. But the decision brings clarity, giving him seven weeks before the trade deadline to consider where he could try to win the Stanley Cup this season, or extend long-term.
There are a ton of storylines to follow now that the Rangers are changing course. But Panarin’s will be the biggest.