Artemi Panarin has been one of the rare free-agent success stories in the salary-cap era in which a big-money, long-term deal actually panned out with a consistently productive player.

Panarin played at an elite level offensively from the moment he arrived in New York. He also helped accelerate the New York Rangers' rebuild and turned them back into a contender.

But with the 2024-25 season being a massive disappointment on a team level, and with management in turmoil as it tries to figure out how to fix the mess on the ice, the Rangers are suddenly looking like a team that might have to do what would have seemed unthinkable at the start of the regular season—become sellers.

We are still a long way from that point, and for as bad as things look right now for the Rangers there is still a chance that things might turn around.

If they do not, the Rangers might have to start taking some long, hard looks at their core group of players and decide what they are going to do with them.

The most intriguing name would be Panarin.

He still has one more full season remaining on his contract after this season, but if the Rangers do not turn things around quickly, and if they have some concern over whether or not Panarin can be re-signed (or if he would be worth it now that he is 33 years old and will be 35 when his next contract begins), this would be the time to consider moving him, as his value will never be higher.

Any team that gets him would not only get an elite offensive player for a Stanley Cup run, but it would also get another full season (and potentially a second playoff run) out of him.

There are some potential obstacles.

For one, Panarin has a full no-movement clause, which means he has full control over where he goes or if he goes anywhere at all. He also has a salary-cap number of $11 million, meaning it would require some creativity and a team with enough salary-cap space to make it work.

But let's just play the hypothetical game here and see if we can think of some teams that might make sense if it gets to that point for the Rangers.

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings have firmly established themselves as a playoff team, but they have been unable to get through the first round in each of the past three seasons.

More specifically, they have not been able to get by the Edmonton Oilers, the team that has eliminated them in the first round in each of the past three seasons.

Los Angeles does pretty much everything well as a team as it relates to defending and pushing the pace of playing during 5-on-5 hockey. There are good players there, but they need something to bring it all together, and a difference-maker like Panarin could be potentially massive if they could pull it off.

The salary cap would be the biggest obstacle here, but there are always ways around that.

My suggestion: Pull a Tampa Bay or Vegas, park Drew Doughty on LTIR for the regular season, land the superstar forward, and then bring Doughty out for the playoffs.

Dallas Stars

The Stars are as good as any team in the NHL and should have a Stanley Cup-or-bust mentality this season. They have been in the Western Conference Final in each of the past two seasons and do not really have any sort of a major weakness on their roster.

But with Tyler Seguin sidelined for what should be most—if not all—of the season, they have a big opening for a top scorer.

They have not yet put Seguin on LTIR, but when they do that they will open up a significant amount of salary-cap space.

They do not have a huge need at left wing, but if they have an opportunity to go all-in, they should take advantage of it. The Stanley Cup is within reach, and there should not be a prospect or draft pick in their organization that is off the table in trying to get an impact player who can get them over the hump.

Vegas Golden Knights

Does Vegas need Panarin?

Probably not. It is already a good team that is top-10 offensively.

Does Vegas have the trade capital or salary-cap space to pull it off?

Again, probably not.

But when have any of those factors ever stopped the Vegas Golden Knights from inserting themselves into a trade for a star player?

They find a way. Always. And they are always on the hunt for the next star who could help give them a push for a championship.

Maybe this is just me reaching based on vibes and past history, but if the Rangers ever put Panarin on the trade market, there is a good chance Vegas would find a way to make it happen.

Chicago Blackhawks

Let's just get weird with it and ponder a reunion between Panarin and Chicago.

Chicago might not be in a position to be dealing assets for a 33-year-old player with one-and-a-half years remaining on his contract, but it would be kind of fun to see it happen.

The Blackhawks never should have traded Panarin when they did, and they have a huge need for a bona fide top-line winger to play alongside second-year star Connor Bedard. He needs some help, and the Blackhawks need something to jump-start their rebuild.

Carolina Hurricanes

There are a couple of issues here, most notably the fact that the Rangers may not want to have Panarin end up in the Metropolitan Division and on a team that has been competing with them at the top of the division.

This would also be out of the Hurricanes' comfort zone to go all-in on a star player in a trade.

That is simply not how they operate.

But maybe they should consider it? They stepped out of that comfort zone a year ago a little bit by trading for Jake Guentzel, but he was only a rental and ended up leaving in free agency anyway.

Panarin would be costly financially, and there would almost be a "division tax" in terms of assets they would have to give up, but the extra year of term might make it worth it.

The Hurricanes keep knocking on the door of the Stanley Cup Final but have been unable to break through with their current core. Another game-breaking forward might help them finally get through.