One of the top snipers in the NHL is clearly up for grabs. Could a team out west use him?
On Wednesday night, the New York Rangers held Artemi Panarin out of the lineup for roster management reasons. That only further spurred speculation that the Russian winger is going be traded sooner, rather than later.
While many have their picks on where Panarin might go, the three teams out in California might be a good fit for him. The Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings are all in the playoff hunt, and could use some added scoring from Panarin.
On Thursday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton discuss which California team could be a potential destination for Panarin.
Tyler Yaremchuk: Los Angeles, Ken Holland, they’re losing Anze Kopitar after this season, he’s retiring. They’ll have the money and the spot on their roster if they want to do it. Then the other two are the rebuilding teams in California. San Jose’s getting a lot of attention. Sheng Peng saying that Panarin apparently would be open to an extension with the San Jose Sharks. Then, there’s the Anaheim Ducks. who have right around $40 million in cap space for next season and shouldn’t be afraid to spend. What do you make of the idea that one of those three California teams could be the ones that pony up the money for Panarin?
Carter Hutton: There’s a lot of pressure on two of the three. When I say that, I mean I think I take San Jose out of the equation of having a ton of pressure on them to make the playoffs, because even if they were to fizzle out…it’s a successful year in my opinion. As for the Ducks and the Kings, it feels like they need to get in. It feels like the wait has been long enough and this might be a team that pushes you over the top.
As for the Sharks…if it’s a short-term deal…he’s 34 years old if you can get him at two or three years and it doesn’t really leverage your whole future, and you can pay him, I guess. I just feel like this weird vibe of him going to San Jose, because it feels like they have lightning in a bottle right now it’s something very good, and I worry about team chemistry and a big dog coming in and messing that up.
You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…
