Artemi Panarin was a busy bee today. The right winger started the day by switching agents. Then after a few interviews with the media, Panarin confirmed that he is going on the market come July thus not resigning with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
New Agent
Panarin started the afternoon with dropping his agent, Dan Milstein , and hiring Paul Theofanous. Theofanous is the agent of Artemi’s teammate Sergei Bobrovsky, who will also (probably) be on the move come summer. This has led to speculation that Panarin and Bobrovsky will go on the market as a package deal.
Going Into Free Agency
In a press conference today, Panarin made it official that he would not be resigning with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Panarin also mentioned that he has no strong pull towards any particular team so far. When asked about free agency, Panarin said:
“It’s one life, one chance for free agency and I want to test free agency. There is still a chance (I could re-sign with Columbus), but I want to see in the summer if I feel there are better options.”
There is still a possibility that Panarin will be traded off as a rental, even though it is pretty unlikely. The team still could send him off somewhere (and the word on the street is to the Preds) in exchange for players that may not help the Blue Jackets this season, but next.
Of course, it would be amazing for Artemi to return to Chicago. His chemistry with Patrick Kane (that’s still thriving) both on and off the ice is unmatched. It would boost the Hawks back to where they need to be. There is talks of other teams pulling for him, mostly the Nashville Predators and New York Rangers. But, Panarin says he has no idea what’s next for him:
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