Panarin’s Absence in Columbus

The Bread man Artemi Panarin might be picking up a new nickname after the reason for his absence in last night’s game came out. Panarin was sick according to head coach John Tortorella and that’s why he missed last night’s contest. However, since Panarin is surrounded by trade rumors everybody assumed he was being held out so he would stay healthy should a contender make a big offer for him. Tortorella wanted to let everyone know that wasn’t the case.

However, you can understand the media’s concern about trade rumors. It’s well known that Panarin doesn’t want to stay in Columbus and he hits free agency this summer so the Blue Jackets are trying to deal him. There are only a few places Panarin wants to be for long term and those are mostly big cities like New York, Tampa and potentially Dallas as well. The trade front for the NHL has been going by slowly as of late and Panarin looks to be one of the biggest rentals available but only for the right price.

-Tyler Smith (@TylerSmith4386)