It was a tale of two Gardens: Less than 24 hours after the Knicks missed out on the top NBA free agents, the Rangers landed the biggest name on the NHL free agent market on Monday when they agreed to terms with Russian forward Artemi Panarin.
The Rangers beat out several teams, including the Islanders and Florida Panthers, for Panarin, a 27-year-old, right-handed-shooting left wing who scored 28 goals and 87 points last season for the Columbus Blue Jackets. According to reports, Panarin took less money to sign with the Rangers; he reportedly agreed to a seven-year contract worth $81.5 million, turning down offers of more than $12 million per year that he had received from the Islanders and Colorado Avalanche. Columbus also made a late push on Sunday to get him to come back, offering over $12 million per year over eight years.
Panarin had long ago made it clear that he wanted out of small-market Columbus to play on a bigger stage, in a bigger city, making the Rangers an early favorite to land him. But Florida had the advantage of playing where there is no state income tax, meaning he would keep more of his salary there than he could in New York. The Panthers also seemed attractive _ as did the Islanders _ because they had an opening in goal and the ability to sign Panarin and his former Columbus teammate Serge Bobrovsky.
