With unrestricted free agency on the horizon for Artemi Panarin next July 1, the clock is most definitely ticking for the New York Rangers and their leading scorer to figure out if his hockey future is in The Big Apple or elsewhere.
Former Rangers forward and 1994 Stanley Cup champion Alexei Kovalev suggested in a recent interview that elsewhere could also mean Panarin leaves the NHL.
“There are even talks that he wants to leave the NHL altogether and go back to Russia,” Kovalev told RG.org. “I don’t know if it’s true, but that’s what people here are saying.