NHL Rumor Mill – January 17, 2026
The Rangers could part ways with Artemi Panarin and other veterans soon, while the Flames could be on the verge of trading Rasmus Andersson. Check out the latest in the NHL Rumor Mill.
RANGERS TO BECOME SELLERS AS MANAGEMENT INTENDS TO RETOOL THE ROSTER
NEW YORK POST: Mollie Walker reports the Rangers won’t be offering Artemi Panarin a contract extension. The 34-year-old winger is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
New York Rangers winger Artemi Panarin (NHL Images).
The news comes on the heels of a public letter released by General Manager Chris Drury to Rangers fans, informing them that he intends to retool the roster.
Panarin carries an $11.6 million cap hit and a full no-movement clause. The latter could hamper the Rangers’ efforts to trade him for assets. Nevertheless, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports Drury is prepared to work with Panarin and his agent to trade the winger wherever he wants to go.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: From Drury’s standpoint, the more trade destinations that Panarin lists, the better the opportunity to start a bidding war that could fetch the Rangers a solid return before the March 6 trade deadline. If Panarin only lists one or two teams, the Rangers will be lucky to get a couple of second-round picks for him.
Panarin could decide that he doesn’t like the idea of joining another team midseason. However, it’s unlikely that he’ll want to play out the final months of his contract with a club that prefers to move him.
THE ATHLETIC: Peter Baugh examined how the Rangers’ upcoming roster retool will affect the current players. He considered Panarin the most likely to be moved.
Drury had individual meetings with Mika Zibanejad, J.T. Miller, Adam Fox, Vladislav Gavrikov, and Igor Shesterkin. Each of them has a no-movement clause, and informed Drury that they want to stay. A league source told Baugh that Miller’s camp doesn’t expect management to ask their client to waive his NMC.
Trading underachieving 24-year-old winger Alexis Lafreniere doesn’t make sense unless the return is a player around the same age.
Baugh believes the Rangers should at least consider offers for 32-year-old center Vincent Trocheck.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Those players with full NMCs won’t be moved unless they’re willing to waive them. Based on Baugh’s reporting, Panarin seems to be the only one who could be moved because of his UFA eligibility in July.
TVA SPORTS: Renaud Lavoie pointed out that there have been no trades between the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Rangers since former Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton became the Canadiens VP of hockey operations in November 2021. Lavoie doubted there would ever be one as long as Gorton and Drury are in their respective roles.
Nevertheless, Lavoie believes the Canadiens have a duty to monitor Panarin’s situation. He noted the veteran winger has been linked to the Florida Panthers for some time.
Lavoie thinks a change of scenery might do wonders for Lafreniere, who is signed through 2031-32 with an AAV of $7.45 million. He believes that the winger’s contract fits within the Canadiens’ salary structure, and he’s the right age to fit in with their young core.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s doubtful Panarin will waive his NMC to join a rebuilding team like the Canadiens. Besides, he’s the type of player you acquire if you’re a Stanley Cup contender. The Canadiens have improved, but they’re not yet a Cup contender.
Lafreniere can play either wing, but his strong side is left wing. The Canadiens have Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky filling that role on their top two lines. They have Ivan Demidov at right wing on their second line, and he could end up on the top line within the next two years. Promising right wing Alexander Zharovsky is among their best prospects, and he’ll likely make his NHL debut when his KHL contract expires in 2027.
The Canadiens also lack the cap space to acquire Lafreniere this season. Doing so would mean making a couple of significant cost-cutting moves.
FLAMES COULD BE TRADING RASMUS ANDERSSON SOON
TSN: Pierre LeBrun reports trade talks are intensifying around Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson.
The 29-year-old defenseman is UFA eligible in July and carries a $4.55 million cap hit this season with a six-team no-trade list. It’s believed the Flames came close to trading him to the Vegas Golden Knights last summer, but the deal never materialized.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: There have been rumors claiming the Flames are on the verge of trading Andersson to the Boston Bruins or the Dallas Stars. Hopefully, there will be further clarification soon.
It’s not in panarins interest to list more than one or two teams. A bidding war weakens the depth of assets the acquiring team has to ice the best team or make further moves to make a run.
Panarin could be the player that tilts a team in the east. If he wants to move to a team and the Rangers can get the right compensation. Drury’s seat is getting warmer as well
Dreger lists Bruins and Knights and two unamed teams in the hunt for Andersson. Stars and Wings are the other 2 teams.
Wings need to pass as Rasmus is too costly.
Win Column reporting done deal with extension for Lohrei, Poitras & one of their 2026 1sts. I guess time will tell pretty soon if true. Andersson will fit the Bruins personality to a T & they will love his stare downs of opposition team fans sitting in front row after Bruins score. He’ll be missed in Calgary but thats a great return & Lohrei will get a great opportunity in Calgary.
Bruins cannot continue to give up their young assets for a player about to turn 30. Making a move for an expiring contract with. I commitment to resign long term.
If he is signing long term on a fair contract similar to how bruins acquired Lindholm I would do the deal. If not hard pass
Would it be crazy for Calgary to trade wolf considering the demand for goalies and where they are in the rebuild.
What could you get from Ottawa or New Jersey? If packaged kadri and wolf together, could you get Mercer and nemec and a 1st round pick.
Same package to Ottawa could you get Dylan cozens, merilainen and yakemchuk. Maybe you have to take ulmark with Ottawa retaining $1M. I don’t believe ulmark is as bad as he has played this year. Maybe with all the drama he would be ok being shipped out.
It’s not crazy to move wolf. Just totally insane.
Exactly! He’s going to be their franchise goalie & isnt even done his ELC yet. Franchise goalies are so hard to find & develop not a chance they move him. If you did a redraft based on what he’s done in the NHL & he would probably go from being a 7th rounder to a top 5 pick in my view. Im biased because I watch all his games but that kid has exceptional skills.
Sometimes, what teams do with their goaltending – and what other teams see in them – can defy explanation.
Back in October, Florida waived undrafted Brandon Bussi, who was passed over by numerous teams before getting to Carolina, who claimed him. All he has done is go 17-3-1 in his first 21 starts.
Ullmark has a nmc. No way he trades that to go to rebuilding Calgary.
On top of that, as if sens give up a cost controlled, young center, their up and coming RD who hasn’t even started his ELC and their young, cheap goalie or veteran goalie for a rather expensive old center and a solid goalie. No thanks.
Isn’t wolf a piece you build around? He’s 24.
Wolf is not going anywhere
Anderson was supposed to move a couple of days back. I think 3 assets
No idea where but a pick, a prospect and a player.
If Vegas …Howden and Connelly
Coleman to Dallas – Bourque and a midling pick?
Why announce Panarin ? Who can afford him even at 50%
Come the deadline, nearly every team in the league can take home at 100%.
Nys only obstacle will be his NMC. There will be no shortage of interest from any club in the hunt.
Zibanejad made it crystal clear last year that he’s not going anywhere.
I can’t see parting ways with Trocheck unless they return is overwhelming.
There will be no shortage of interest in Panarin. Dallas, Colorado, Edmonton Florida, Tampa make a ton of sense.
I can see him waiving to go to any of the above.
Dump Soucy for anything. Let Quick escape this mess. He was more than fine as a backup.
I don’t see them tearing this to the ground as so many Ranger fans are hoping.
Heh. Here go the Rangers again, CaptainObvious.
Away from MSG, where their record is pathetic, and on the road where they’re over.600, they have a 3-1 lead after 1 in Philadelphia, with goals from Othmann (his 1st), Zibanejad (19th) and Panarin (17th).
They chased Kolosov with 3 goals on 3 shots. Meanwhile, Martin has handled all but 1 of 8 shots. Home and away – like night and day. Go figure!
Bruins front runner for Anderson . Poitras Lohrei and Leafs first
We will see if Rasmus is in the lineup this afternoon
Not a bad deal for the Flames if it comes to fruition
Win Column reporting done deal with extension for Lohrei, Poitras & one of their 2026 1sts. I guess time will tell pretty soon if true. Andersson will fit the Bruins personality to a T & they will love his stare downs of opposition team fans sitting in front row after Bruins score. He’ll be missed in Calgary but thats a great return & Lohrei will get a great opportunity in Calgary.
Florida is struggling and is currently outside playoff picture. They’re all in for next few years. Not sure how they get Panarin with their cap situation, but feels like they always find a way to. Most likely destination. Zibanejad has been adamant about loving NY and not wanting to leave but, how would he look in Pittsburgh? Olympics coming up and maybe Ek and Eakell can convince him to go. Lafreniere to Montreal would be nice change to get him going. Close to home. Honestly can’t see trading Trochek.
**Karllson and Rakell**
You keep trying to pawn aging talent on Pittsburgh when they’ve shown the are walking the line between rebuild and trying to make playoffs. Unless you are talking about exchanging bad contracts like graves for z there is no match there. If pens trade for players to improve this year it will be depth players that cost middle tier assets like mid round picks.
Bad contracts? Zibanejad is near a point a game. His point totals today would be 2nd to only Crosby in Pittsburgh
And you think that the return is Graves? A guy they drafted and never really believed in? Who also was put on waivers earlier this year and was passed by every NHL team?
It’s way too early to be drinking.
Zibanejad is more than likely not waiving. But cmon man. He wouldn’t be fetching a fringe NHL defenseman that’s 30 years old.
If someone said this about Rust what would you say?
You’re either grossly overestimating Pittsburgh players, or grossly underestimating NY players. Maybe a bit of both?
I don’t actually think graves for z is realistic. But the thought process of trading an aging expensive contract because you are retooling to another team that’s retooling is just goofy. Pens won’t be trading for z or panarin or any of the pieces that ny would want to jettison because they are not at that stage currently. Dubas has done a really nice job walking the compete/rebuild tightrope by not making trades like this past year or so. And when he last did with karlsson he managed to dump a bunch of bad salary back to San Jose. So if a similar trade were to happen I’d expect he would want to dump bad salary back to ny. In no way do I think ny should do it. Long story short there isn’t a good match for the two teams at this time.
Ps
Z 8.5 mil till 2031! 43 in 47
Rust 5.2 until 28. 37 in 42.
I’d take rust over z with those contracts any time.
Chrisms. Eastern conference is wide open. Pitt currently 3rd in Metro, 8 pts behind top 2 teams in conference. You don’t think Zibanejad puts them on same level as other teams?A lot of chatter last summer about trading Rust, EK, and Rakell. They’re all still there. None are ufa’s at seasons end. Note: Zibanejad just scored 2nd goal of game at Flyers. Became all time PP goal scorer for Rangers.
And now he has a hat trick. I think letter took all pressure off players.
The guy is on an absolute tear the last few weeks. And Pittsburgh is clinging to life for a playoff spot. Having not qualified for the playoffs for 3 consecutive seasons and counting, and not having won a playoff series 7 years and counting. I don’t think Pittsburgh has the luxury of passing on “aging players “ playing extremely well.
Dubas hasn’t really walked the line, he’s just refused to see the line exists at all. All the money they Dumped in the Karlsson trade would be gone today, unlike Karlsson.
If Pittsburgh wants to win with their aging core, they shouldn’t be worried about adding aging players that are playing well.
That’s once again not coming to terms with where they’re at.