EAST MEADOW, N.Y. \u2014 For the first time since January, longtime Rangers forward Artemi Panarin is set to suit up for games in the New York area. Traded to Los Angeles on Feb. 4, he and the Kings are set to play the Islanders on Friday and the Devils on Saturday. Then, on Monday, he\u2019ll make his return to Madison Square Garden, his home rink for 6 1\/2 seasons.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish it was going to be next year, but I\u2019ve got to deal with that pretty soon,\u201d he said after a Kings practice Thursday in East Meadow. \u201cI\u2019m sure I\u2019m going to be nervous. \u2026 Obviously excited to see the fans.\u201d<\/p>\n
Panarin signed a seven-year, $11.64 million average annual value contract with the Rangers in 2019 and proceeded to have 607 points in 482 games. He helped the Rangers to a pair of Eastern Conference final appearances and twice finished in the top five in MVP voting. But he and Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury were unable to agree to a contract extension before the 2025-26 season \u2014 Panarin previously said New York\u2019s offer made him unsure the team wanted him \u2014 and the Rangers failed to rebound from a disappointing 2024-25 season when games began. In January, Drury sent a letter to fans announcing a retool and told Panarin he would not be offering him a contract extension.<\/p>\n
\u201cFelt pretty sad in the beginning but also explained to myself why it\u2019s better,\u201d Panarin said. \u201cI have a few things I think are going to be better. I\u2019m not going to share with you why.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added he was \u201calso a little bit ready\u201d for the decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was never going to make that move by myself,\u201d he said. \u201cSo it\u2019s kind of easier for me for people to figure it out for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Panarin said he was \u201cthinking too much\u201d about his contract situation early in the season, but he felt he corrected his play as it progressed. He had 57 points in 52 games with the Rangers this season and was the team\u2019s leading scorer at the time of the trade. He said he thought perhaps his uptick in production would potentially lead to a new deal. It did not, and on Jan. 28, 12 days after Drury\u2019s letter, the Rangers began scratching him for roster management reasons. Panarin had a full no-movement clause, and the Rangers gave him permission to speak with other teams. He and his camp evaluated suitors and their extension offers and eventually informed the Rangers he picked the Kings. The trade went through the day of the Olympic break roster freeze, and Panarin promptly signed\u00a0a two-year, $11 million AAV extension.<\/p>\n
Panarin, who temporarily lived in former Rangers\u2019 teammate Vladislav Gavrikov\u2019s Los Angeles house before getting a home of his own, expected that the Olympic break would help him settle into a new situation but found that not to be the case.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was thinking too much,\u201d said the wing, who has eight points in eight games with Los Angeles. \u201cIt took me probably two or three games (with the Kings) to relax. \u2026 I was waiting three weeks thinking. I have trouble when I start thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Los Angeles is in the playoff mix: 10th in the West in point percentage and tied with Seattle for eighth in actual points. Panarin has found that exciting.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously a better atmosphere in the locker room,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you already know you\u2019re in last place, it\u2019s not that fun in the locker room, even if we try to help each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
New York, meanwhile, sits at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. Key players Igor Shesterkin, Adam Fox, Vincent Trocheck and J.T. Miller have all missed stretches of play while hurt, which Panarin believes contributed to the team\u2019s poor results.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think injuries gave us a hard time,\u201d Panarin said. \u201c(All the) time we had one of the top guys injured. We did not have enough depth for the top six. We were working with limited options.\u201d<\/p>\n
Panarin finished his time with the Rangers as the franchise record holder in points per game (1.26).<\/p>\n