Adrian Dater
Since this is my site and I can write however I want on it, I’m going to have more of a conversational tone to it, instead of some AP-style story format.
I just got off the phone with a very, very dialed-in source close to Artemi Panarin – and have gotten some other intel from a couple of sources close to actual Avalanche players and the news I have to report is:
It is NOT over between the Avs and the Bread Man. Things, an NHL source told Colorado Hockey Now, remain “serious” between the Avs and the coveted potential unrestricted free agent. And, that representatives from the Avs have met this week in person with Panarin and his representative(s).
I don’t know when that meeting took place, and I don’t know where. Could have been in Florida, where Panarin flew into on Sunday. Could be in New York, where Panarin was on Wednesday and also met with the New York Rangers. Could have been anywhere for all I know. I am told, however, that the meeting involving Panarin and people from the Avs was not in Denver. His agent did meet with the Avs in Denver on Sunday, as Colorado Hockey Now has previously reported.
Also: Avalanche players, my other sources say, are aware that Panarin met with the team and, I’m told, at least a couple of them are giving their best recruiting efforts to convince the Russian left winger to sign his next contract with the Avalanche.
That’s what I have to report. I have no idea where this will go from here. Not yet anyway.
I have run this all by the Avalanche officially today, by the way, and they have no comment.
The Avs are currently the NHL team with the most money to spend under the cap, with $38,900,239 to spend, according to CapFriendly. That number is a bit deceiving, however, as the Avs still have to sign several of their restricted free agents, including Mikko Rantanen. But the Avs would easily have enough space left over to throw at least $10 million a year at Panarin.
The most term the Avs can offer Panarin is seven years. I’ve read from others that term is a worry for the Avs on free agents, that they don’t like to or don’t want to offer more than five years to any UFA. If that were, in fact, true, the Avs would likely lose out to another team that probably would gladly go seven years on the Bread Man. But nobody knows if that is actually true or not, the Avs’ worries about term that is.
Remember my post from earlier this morning: Nobody knows anything, to quote the late, great Willam Goldman. But I trust my sources on what I’m reporting here.
Maybe I’m being spun in some ways, maybe Panarin already has his mind up. Possible. But I’m just reporting what I’m being told at this moment. On the spun thing, I don’t think so. I go back a long way with these sources and they haven’t lied to me yet. Panarin sure seems to be having a lot of fun with this wining and dining process. He’s been seen in pictures in swim trunks on the beach and trying on suits in New York City. Hey, at least we know the guy has a bit of a fun personality.
Last thing: keep an even keel on this, Avs fan. The Avs are going to be a damn good team moving forward with or without Artemi Panarin. He has 31 teams to choose from and there can only be one. There are other leaders in the clubhouse, with the Florida Panthers still seemingly the most logical choice, on paper.
As I wrote before, though: Just because Panarin went to Florida to establish base camp doesn’t mean the Florida Panthers were/are the only team he was going to talk to. Teams can afford airline tickets to meet him where he is, if that’s what it takes. Lots of hockey players visit Florida in the off-season. Nikita Zadorov spends a lot of time in Miami every year, or at least he did. Patrick Roy still has a house there. It’s a real nice place to be, Florida.
Now, yes, I agree on this with the skeptics: Why has Bread Man visited Florida in person and the Rangers in person, but didn’t go to Denver? I don’t have an answer for that one. I don’t know. And, yes, I agree with the skeptics that it would make it seem that the Avs aren’t as high on his list as the ones he actually visited. But I’m assuming the Bread Man has been to Denver before and seen the city some. Maybe he doesn’t want to fly across the country to visit some teams. Again, I don’t know on this one. I’ve asked on it. All I know for sure is this: Denver is a damn nice place to be, too. And it has a lot of money to spend and a really good young team moving forward.
So, stay tuned.