Rangers Rumors: Panarin Getting Interest From Contender In East

It is clear that the New York Rangers aren't going to get a team-friendly deal from Artemi Panarin, despite him reportedly wanting to stay and already signing a huge ticket last time around. The Rangers aren't in a great spot, sitting outside of the playoff picture and just 6-6-2 on the season.

Panarin, along with the rest of the Rangers, has really struggled offensively. The veteran has two goals and seven points in 14 games despite being a point-per-game player or better in eight consecutive seasons. He is also on a six-game pointless streak, the longest in his regular season career. It was even the longest at five games.

Panarin may need a change just as badly as the Rangers do, as nothing has gone right for either of them. Linked to the star winger is the Carolina Hurricanes. Frank Seravalli said, "I mentioned the Hurricanes as being one of those teams that is closely monitoring the situation. They're not alone. The rangers want some more time to figure out what they've got before they make any moves."

The Rangers have really only needed Panarin in one of their six wins on the season. In the first two victories, he recorded just one assist per game. The Rangers outscored their opponents 4-1 and 6-1. He had a big game in Montreal, scoring a goal and three assists in a 4-3 win, but he has gone pointless in the team's last three wins.

The Hurricanes are one of the teams that could not only provide the value in a trade for Panarin to load up for a Stanley Cup run, but also pay him in an extension afterwards. Panarin appears to be asking for a lot, and he will get that from some good teams. The Hurricanes are not only one of the best teams in the league, but they also repeatedly have a chance to win and have tons of cap space.

The Panarin situation is a very interesting one to watch as players of his caliber don't often get traded, but the situation is headed in that direction. It would free the Rangers up to try to retool quickly.