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Red Wings' conference rivals could be on the verge of losing franchise star to Russia
Photo credit: John Jones-Imagn Images
According to former NHLer Alexei Kovalev, a conference rival of the Detroit Red Wings organization could be on the verge of losing franchise star Artemi Panarin to Russia.
The Stanley Cup champion Alex Kovalev, who played for the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, and Florida Panthers between 1992 and 2013, recently opened up on many interesting topics in an interview with RG.org.
Kovalev notably talked about the New York Rangers, who drafted him 15th overall in 1991.
It's no secret that the team hasn't been meeting expectations in the past two seasons, and the former blueshirt had a lot on his mind about the situation.
Alex Kovalev Drops Massive Update On Panarin In The NHL
Artemi Panarin's seven-year, $81,499,999 contract is set to expire at the end of the current season. There are a lot of rumors about his future with the Rangers and in the NHL altogether.
Alex Kovalev added fuel to the fire when he put the topic back on the table in an interview with RG:
"There are even talks that he wants to leave the NHL altogether and go back to Russia. I don't know if it's true, but that's what people here are saying."
Panarin played a few years in the KHL before coming over to North America, and rumors of his return to Russia will keep coming until he signs a contract, especially with the disappointing start to the season in New York.
There have been a lot of changes in the organization in the last year, but as most analysts observed, Kovalev believes most of the team's issues come from the blue line.
He is surprised the team hasn't addressed the issue yet:
"I'm surprised they still haven't added one or two good defensemen, because all their problems come from the back end. They have a good goalie, a great offense, but without a solid defense you won't get far. You can't have such a big hole on the blue line. They started very slowly, too many losses - let's see how it goes."
The Rangers are 7th in the Metropolitan Division, tied at 22 points with the Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets, only a point ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers at the bottom of the rankings. They could even end up competing with the Red Wings for a wild card spot.
With or without Panarin, the team must make some changes if they want to avoid wasting another season. But as of now, there's no money to do so in New York.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 20 | 225 ANSWERS Red Wings' conference rivals could be on the verge of losing franchise star to Russia Do you think Artemi Panarin will leave the New York Rangers this season? | ||
| Yes | 140 | 62.2 % |
| No | 85 | 37.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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