The Artemi Panarin saga is the second such situation we’ve seen this season. The first major drama was the Quinn Hughes trade. That story culminated with the coveted blueliner ending up in the Central Division.
Now, there’s a chance the latest saga could also culminate with a superstar landing in the Central Division. In this case, the Dallas Stars could land the biggest available forward on the market for the second year in a row.
Last season, it was Mikko Rantanen landing in Dallas that ultimately derailed the Avalanche’s season. Their old mate became Colorado’s executioner at playoff time. This time around, the chatter posits that the Stars could be the frontrunners for the Russian.
While the Avalanche have also been linked to Panarin, the latest talk suggests that Panarin has his sights set on Dallas. That was the sentiment insider Elliotte Friedman conveyed in the latest edition of the 32 Thoughts Podcast. Friedman offered the following insight into the situation:
“I think Artemi Panarin's preference is to go with an extension, I think there are some teams he would potentially go as a rental to; one of the teams I've heard he might be interested as a rental potentially, is Dallas.”
If the Stars can manage an extension, it will be a miracle of modern science. The Stars don’t have the cap space to pay what Panarin wants, even if they gave him the long-term extension he wants.
That aside, Panarin landing in Dallas would add another layer of complexity for the Avalanche’s postseason path. The Avs will likely meet either Dallas or Minnesota in the second round. Barring a second-half collapse by the Avalanche, they’ll get the first wild card team in the first round.
However, the Avs will get the winner of the Stars-Wild first-round bloodbath. That bloodbath is what the Stars are gearing up for. As Blackout Dallas Site Expert Brian Sweet put it, Panarin is precisely what the Stars are looking for:
“Panarin would be the perfect rental for Dallas, considering he’s in the final year of his contract. With the lack of physicality Dallas has at the moment, he could be what Dallas needs.”
It’s interesting to hear Sweet’s take insofar as Panarin being a rental for Dallas. That’s precisely what this entire Panarin situation has been about. The Stars seem to be one of the few teams that are willing to pay for Panarin as a rental. The prevailing chatter is that potential suitors want some sort of assurance that Panarin would sign an extension.
Panarin may not be the panacea for Stars to counter Avalanche
According to Sweet, the Stars have a clear need that goes beyond scoring. As a recent game highlighted, Panarin would be a nice-to-have, not a need-to-have:
“While it would be like getting an extra piece of cake for dessert if Panarin brought some secondary scoring to Dallas, the majority of the fanbase is more worried about physicality at the moment. When you get out hit by more than 30 to the St. Louis Blues, that becomes a serious problem.”
The Stars held off a third-period comeback attempt by the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night, taking the game 4-3 in regulation. However, the Stars were outhit 43-12 in a game that was much closer than it had to be for the Stars.
That situation signals that the Stars fanbase would love to see Panarin suit up in Dallas, but that lack of physicality weighs heavily on the minds of Dallas fans:
“If Panarin were to come to Dallas and go on a scoring rampage like Mikko did, I don’t think the fanbase would mind at all. It’s just Stars fans are more concerned about the lack of physicality at the deadline this season compared to last year.”
The Stars are not the only suitors for Panarin this season. However, it’s worth pointing out that there are more pressing issues for the Stars. It seems those issues are not the kind that Dallas can just score their way out of.
These issues also signal a path forward for the Colorado Avalanche. If the Avs and Stars were to lock up again in the postseason, Colorado can leverage its physical play to shut down the Stars’ offense, with or without Artemi Panarin.