Photo credit: Danny Wild – USA TODAY Sports
The Vancouver Canucks have been suggested as a possible landing spot for a five-time 30+ goal scorer as he enters the final year of his current contract, with free agency looming.
With the 2025-26 season quickly approaching, the Vancouver Canucks are hoping that they have the right pieces in place to make a push for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs next spring and while a lot can happen between now and then, there’s no doubt that a big in-season trade can’t be ruled out.Patrik Allvin and the team’s management group were hoping to add another centerman to the fold this summer, but weren’t able to for a couple of reasons – cost & lack of available centers, but as the season rolls along and we get a better picture of who is and isn’t going to be competing for a postseason spot, maybe then they’ll be able to land that 2C they’ve coveted for quite some time or perhaps even a scoring winger to add to the top-six.
Five-time 30+ goal scorer suggested as potential trade target for the Vancouver Canucks
The New York Rangers are set to begin thier 100th year in the National Hockey League in the coming weeks and after a disappointing 2024-25 campaign, much like the Vancouver Canucks, they’re hoping to bounce back, while also giving fans something to cheer about during their Centennial season.
This summer, the Rangers made some changes on and off the ice, hiring Mike Sullivan as their new Head Coach, while trading forward Chris Kreider and defenseman K’Andre Miller to the Anaheim Ducks and Carolina Hurricanes, respectively.Despite already moving those two key players during the offseason, trade rumors surrounding the team’s biggest stars haven’t quieted down and with forward Artemi Panarin set to enter the final year of his current contract, he could be a potential trade target for several teams ahead of the deadline, which is Friday, March 6th.
Hypothetically speaking, if the New York Rangers were out of the playoff mix by the halfway mark of the 2025-26 season, NHL insider David Pagnotta believes that the club may begin exploring the possibility of moving on from the 33-year-old.
“If the Rangers by the halfway point are floundering a little bit…it wouldn’t shock me at all to see Panarin starting to steal some more headlines.” Pagnotta said.
In a recent article for The Wrightway Sports Network, Matt Levine believes that one team that could be a fit for Artemi Panarin, if the Rangers are willing to part with him before March’s deadline, is the Vancouver Canucks.
“The Canucks have put together a decent offseason, bringing back star Boeser in what was a surprising move. But Vancouver may need some extra firepower to fully get over the hump in the Western Conference.
Panarin’s offense would provide a huge lift to the Canucks and give them a major boost to compete with the other elite teams. Vancouver has a new head coach in Adam Foote, and adding Panarin to the mix could give him a chance to start strongly.” Levine said.
Adding someone with the skill and offensive ability that Artemi Panarin has would be a dream for the Vancouver Canucks and he would instantly become the team’s best winger – no disrespect to Brock Boeser or Jake DeBrusk, however, the odds of Patrik Allvin landing him are probably quite slim.
Firstly, Panarin’s cap hit is just over $11.6 million USD, which is something that the Vancouver Canucks are unable to add without the Rangers taking back a couple of sizable contracts while also retaining money on the Russian forward.
Vancouver also might not be willing to part with the pieces that the New York Rangers would desire as there’s no question that GM Chris Drury may want one or two of Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Braeden Cootes or Tom Willander, along with a first round pick.
With all that said, the odds of Artemi Panarin coming to the New York Rangers via trade this season is quite slim, but if the opportunity does arise as the calendar flips to 2026, Patrik Allvin should at least inquire with Chris Drury to see what it would actually take to land the Korkino, Russia native.
Previously on CanucksDaily