Artemi Panarin to sign with New York Rangers in NHL free agency, per report

Panarin will reportedly take his talents in the Big Apple after the last two seasons in Columbus.

Artemi Panarin will sign with the New York Rangers when NHL free agency opens Monday, TSN reports. It will be a seven-year, $81.5 million deal with an $11.642 million cap hit.

The deal, which will be for a max term of seven years, comes as a minor surprise given reports that the Panthers and Islanders had emerged as the favorites in the bidding for the superstar winger.

Panarin, who played his first two years with the Blackhawks before being traded to the Blue Jackets, entered free agency as the top player available. He’s lit up the NHL during his first four seasons in the league and remains in his prime entering the upcoming season, during which he’ll turn 28 years old.

There’s a belief that the winger left money on the table in order to sign the Rangers, according to TSN. It comes after reports that the team no longer expected to sign him due to the increased bidding.

Panarin joined the NHL four years ago on an entry-level contract with the Blackhawks. He quickly emerged as one of the top scorers in the league, but made his intention to hit free agency in his prime clear by signing a two-year, $12 million deal for his second contract. The move set him up to hit the open market as soon as possible, and now he’s taken advantage to move to the country’s biggest market.

The Rangers have an active offseason beyond the pending addition of a superstar in Panarin. The team also traded for Jets defenseman Jacob Troubal, pried top defensive prospect Adam Fox from Carolina and drafted Kaapo Kakko with the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft.