Panarin says trade to Kings was ‘perfect timing’ ahead of Olympic break

Panarin didn’t deny that other teams on his list made a bigger offer to him, but it wasn’t as important to him as going to the Kings.

“I feel like I’m a guy who is not thinking that much about money,” he said. “I don’t know, maybe it seems funny, but it’s not an important thing for me. I just want to play for the guys and for the organization. That’s what it’s all about. Obviously, it’s a pretty short deal for me. That’s not what I was looking for, but because I want to play there only, I don’t have much options.”

Panarin said it was in early January when he realized his time with the Rangers was going to end. The 10-2 loss to the Boston Bruins on Jan. 10 probably sealed his fate, he said.

Drury released the letter to the fanbase six days later.

But Panarin also said the Rangers never made it seem like they were serious about re-signing him even once they were allowed to do so on July 1. He indicated that they made a contract offer that was not close to what he was looking for.

“I don’t know if I should say this, but I feel like their offer just said, ‘We’re not sure we want you or not.’ So, that’s why I’m not signing,” Panarin said. “If you remember, my start of the season was not great, and then we talked probably a bit in the middle of the year, but not much.”

Panarin, though, praised his 6 1/2 seasons with the Rangers, talking about the pride he had playing for an organization with 100 years of history and what it was like to reach the Eastern Conference Final twice with them, in 2022 and 2024.

He was New York’s leading scorer every season since joining the team. He led the Rangers with 57 points (19 goals, 38 assists) in 52 games this season, and is ninth in team history with 607 points (205 goals, 402 assists).

“Found a lot of friends here,” he said. “That’s a great organization, too. New York Rangers are an Original Six team, like huge history. I was pretty proud playing for these guys, for this jersey.”

Panarin will be wearing a Kings jersey when the NHL returns from the Olympic break. His first game will be 20 days from now, against the Vegas Golden Knights at Crypto.com Arena (10 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, SNO, SNE, TVAS).

He will return to Madison Square Garden to play the Rangers on March 16, but maybe by then he’ll have found his home with a view of the Pacific Ocean and chemistry with his new teammates.

“I feel like when you play for one team a long time, this team will always be in your heart,” Panarin said. “That’s the thing with switching and feeling the same way for the other team. But it’s probably perfect timing because the Olympics break is pretty long and it gives me some time to get used to a new team.”