Artemi Panarin’s revelation about the Rangers: “I don’t know if I should say this, but…”
The hottest name in the NHL trade market Artemi Panarin changed scenery just before the Olympic break. The New York Rangers traded the Russian star to the Los Angeles Kings, with whom Panarin immediately signed a two-year contract with an average annual salary of 11 million dollars.
In an interview with NHL.com, Panarin admitted outright that the Kings were the only team he wanted to move to.
– I feel like I’m a guy who doesn’t think much about money. I don’t know, maybe it sounds weird, but it’s not important to me. I just want to play for the guys and the organization. That’s what it’s all about. Naturally, this was quite a short contract for me. I wasn’t looking for that, but since I only wanted to play in Los Angeles, I didn’t have many options, Panarin told NHL.com in the interview.
At the same time, Panarin also provided additional details about how his contract negotiations with the Rangers progressed. The team offered him an extension that was significantly below his salary request.
– I don’t know if I should say this, but I feel like their offer was saying “we’re not sure if we want you or not.” So that’s why I didn’t take the offer. If you remember, my start to the season wasn’t strong, and then we talked at some point in the middle of the year, but not much.
Panarin’s season with the Rangers ultimately got off to a strong start. Before the trade, he managed to play 52 games with stats of 19+38=57.
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