Can the Tampa Bay Lightning Pull Off a Trade For Artemi Panarin?
The Tampa Bay Lightning are the latest team to enter the sweepstakes for Artemi Panarin. It sounds like Panarin prefers to go down South to Florida, making the Lightning one of his top destinations. They’re also one of the very few teams that can offer him a contract extension, which is what Panarin wants.
The Lightning haven’t been mentioned as a real possibility for the star winger in the past weeks, but the rumors were on fire today. With Chris Drury looking to get a deal done before the NHL roster freeze at 3 p.m. Eastern, a trade could materialize quickly. The reason nothing has happened yet is likely that Panarin is waiting to see which team will give him the money he’s looking for.
Can Tampa Land Panarin?
It is a real possibility that the Lightning pull off a blockbuster trade to land Panarin. Lightning General Manager Julien BriseBois is one of the most aggressive GMs in the marketplace, and he’d have no problem trading the assets necessary to get a deal done. We’ve seen him do it in the past for Yanni Gourde, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Brandon Hagel, and Tanner Jeannot. Tampa makes a lot of sense for Panarin, and he’d be very interested in playing there.
While they don’t have a deep prospect pool, they still have young talent that would be very appealing to the New York Rangers. The top name that could headline a potential deal would be 19-year-old Center/Right Wing, Sam O’Reilly. He was drafted 32nd overall by the Edmonton Oilers in 2024 and was traded to Tampa in exchange for Isaac Howard. He’s a great two-way player who plays relentless defense with a ton of upside on offense.
Another intriguing name is Center Benjamin Rautiainen. Right now, he’s playing well over a point per game in the SM-liiga, Finland’s men’s league. He is on pace for 82 points in 59 games. He would instantly become New York’s top prospect, and Rautiainen has legit upside.
What Other Teams Are In?
Besides the Tampa Bay Lightning, there are other teams involved in the sweepstakes for Panarin. The Carolina Hurricanes, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, Florida Panthers, and Washington Capitals are among the teams also showing interest. Besides Florida, every one of these teams can make better offers for Panarin, but could fall behind because they’re unwilling to give him the extension he’s looking for. The Sharks are easily the best option, as they have the best prospects in the entire NHL.
No matter who offers the best package, all the power and leverage remain in Panarin’s hands. Since he chooses his next destination, it doesn’t take teams like the Panthers or Lightning out of the race; instead, it actually helps them. It would just be extremely hard for either team to make an extension happen. We will see in less than 24 hours if Panarin and the Rangers can make a deal happen before the freeze begins.
What’s Next For the Rangers?
If/when a deal for Panarin does come to fruition, all eyes will turn to Vincent Trocheck as the Trade Deadline approaches next month. He is the Rangers’ best and most valuable asset behind Panarin, and he will be able to get young talent and high-end draft capital in return. The Minnesota Wild are said to have extreme interest in him, and General Manager Bill Guerin is a big fan of Trocheck’s.
Drury will be extremely busy over the next few weeks, and he needs to hit on a lot of trades if he wants to turn this team around quickly in what he’s calling a retool rather than a rebuild. Once Panarin goes, more dominoes like Trocheck and Braden Schneider are bound get shipped off as well.
