We are presumably one day away from learning the outcome of the three horse race for Artemi Panarin — a sweepstakes the Rangers are serious contenders in, even if they’re not quite front-runners. According to all the usual insider suspects, the Blueshirts are in competition with the Panthers and Islanders for his services, though the front office does have an $11.5 million 38th parallel they’re unwilling to move beyond.
Should New York land Panarin, it’s clear that not only will the Rangers’ rebuild have been substantially accelerated, it’ll likely red line, with expectations for what this roster is supposed to be next year rising in conjunction.