NY Rangers' GM drops bold claim about Artemi Panarin hours after trade to Kings

If the New York Rangers thought trading Artemi Panarin would stop the incessant barrage of questions regarding “the Breadman,” then they are in for a rude awakening. Still, general manager Chris Drury stood at the podium after the trade went through, delivering a bold message about the newest member of the Los Angeles Kings.

The two sides must flip the page. Panarin is the latest addition to the Kings’ projected lines for the 2025-26 NHL campaign. Meanwhile, the Rangers face glaring holes all across the lineup. Still, Panarin’s exit from New York doesn’t change how the Rangers feel about him and his time as a Blueshirt. That was confirmed during Drury’s media availability, in which there was a predominant topic.

“Artemi’s an incredible player, arguably the best free agent signing in the 100-year history of the franchise,” Drury boldly commented, via Mollie Walker of the New York Post. “He deserves a chance to win and we wanted to give him that chance as we retool the team. It’s never easy to move a player of Artemi’s caliber.”

Candid debate around the trade

After listening to Drury’s high praise for Panarin, the fact he was shopped for a conditional third-round pick and prospect Liam Greentree doesn’t sit right with the fanbase in the Big Apple.

Chris Drury GM of the NY Rangers

To an extent, even Drury may be displeased with the overall trade. However, considering the Rangers had their hands tied in more ways than one, they couldn’t seek much more—or better—assets, either.

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The glass-half-full perspective makes New York grateful that it was even able to trade Panarin before the Olympic roster freeze. Had they missed the deadline, the Rangers would’ve been stuck with Panarin—perhaps until the NHL trade deadline—risking being left to watch him walk away as an unrestricted free agent (UFA) in the summer. Moreover, the Blueshirts would have had even less leverage in March than they did in February, which is saying a lot.

Silver lining for the NY Rangers

There were far worse paths to go down—including a reported worst-case scenario brewing for the Rangers—than shipping Panarin to the Kings in return of a third-round (potentially second) selection and a former first-round talent like Greentree.

Still, the trade will continue to sting in New York City. Perhaps it’s not the move itself that burns, but the feeling of emptiness that one of the best free-agent signings in Rangers history saw his chapter come to an abrupt close, with no Cups to show for it.