The Philadelphia Flyers are starting to turn the corner on their rebuild — or at least they’re trying to.
Elliotte Friedman speculated that the Flyers might be interested in New York Rangers winger Artemi Panarin on the most recent episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast. We wrote on that report earlier on Friday, with a look at how it might benefit the Flyers.
Sure, bringing in a Russian winger to help Matvei Michkov and take this team to the next level might make sense right now, but it doesn’t for the future. Furthermore, Friedman comparing the possibility of Kirill Kaprizov hitting the open market to Panarin on the trade market is like comparing apples to hockey sticks. It simply doesn’t make sense.
Flyers should not be interested in Artemi Panarin at all
Let’s first look at the Kaprizov of it all. Before signing an eight-year, $136 million contract extension that made him the highest-paid player inthe league, the winger was set to be one of the top players available in free agency this summer.
If Kaprizov had hit free agency, it’s safe to assume that the Flyers would’ve done whatever they could to land him in Philadelphia.
In this hypothetical, Kaprizov would be a 29-year-old forward hitting the open market toward the end of his prime. He’s been well over a point-per-game player in his career, racking up 452 points in 374 games through the first 55 games of this season. The Flyers should’ve been willing to give him a blank check to join forces with Michkov in Orange and Black.
Panarin is no Kaprizov — at least not anymore. He’s still a great player and has 57 points in 52 games this season on a struggling Rangers team, but he is five years older than Kaprizov with a lot more miles on his body.
Assuming a max-length contract, signing Kaprizov to a seven-year deal would’ve locked him up until age 36. That’s still a bit older than you’d like, but nothing like what a long-term deal with Panarin would look like. The veteran is already on the downside of his career, going from 120 points in the 2022-23 season to 89 points last year. Handing out a long-term deal to someone in his mid-30s is the exact opposite of the type of move that Danny Briere and Keith Jones have preached.
Artemi Panarin doesn’t fit the Flyers’ timeline at all
Briere and Jones are going to pick their spots and go after the best players when they’re available, but there’s no point in going after Panarin simply because he’s the best player left on the market. The Flyers don’t have to buy now or in the summer.
Perhaps a short-term deal for Panarin in the offseason could make sense, but with the Russian winger having full control over where he gets traded to, and wanting an extension to be signed with a trade, giving up assets to one of your biggest rivals would be disastrous.
Trading for Panarin would cost at least a few future assets and probably a roster player. There is no sense in doing that while the team is stuck in mediocrity as it attempts to turn the corner on the rebuild.
In theory, Panarin would absolutely improve this team, but at what cost? Not only would you have to trade several assets to a rival, but Panarin only raises this team’s ceiling so much. Maybe they go from a team hoping to make a playoffs to a wild card team, but they’d still have no business competing with the Lightning, Panthers, or Hurricanes in the East.
Even if the Flyers did want to sign Panarin, he plays on the wing, which is the only position where Philadelphia is well set up for the future. Michkov, Porter Martone, Tyson Foerster, Trevor Zegras, Travis Konecny, and Owen Tippett are pencilled in as the top-nine wingers next season, with guys like Bobby Brink, Denver Barkey, and Alex Bump fighting for spots as well.
And that’s not to mention the off-ice issues of it all. We won’t get into it too deeply here, but a quick search for “Artemi Panarin Rangers settlement” should tell you all you need to know.
These aren’t your father’s Flyers when Bobby Clarke or even Paul Holmgren would make a big splash for the sake of making a big splash, even when the player making said splash is more likely to sink rather than swim.
Like it or not, Briere and Jones have a thought-out plan for the rebuild. Trading for Panarin goes against everything they’ve preached and would set the Flyers back even more.
