"It looks like Artemi Panarin's heading to Chicago": Insider drops bombshell report involving the Blackhawks
Photo credit: Jess Starr / Hockey Writers
The insider Eklund dropped a massive bombshell report saying that Artemi Panarin and Kirill Kaprizov could be heading to the Chicago Blackhawks in 2026-27.
A new rumor involving the Chicago Blackhawks, Kirill Kaprizov, and Artemi Panarin is gaining serious traction online.
Eklund posted on X that both Russian superstars could end up in Chicago for the 2026-27 season:
Both Panarin and Kaprizov are still under contract for one more season - Panarin with the Rangers and Kaprizov with the Wild - but their futures are far from settled.
In New York, the team is coming off a tough season, marked by a noticeable drop in production from Panarin. After a 120-point season last year, he only scored 89 in 2024-25.
If the Rangers fail again next spring, it's not out of the question that both sides decide to move on, and the Hawks will be in the mix.
As for the Wild, GM Bill Guerin has built his entire offense around Kaprizov, and he made it clear he has no plans of letting him leave:
According to NHL.com:
"Guerin added that extending forward Kirill Kaprizov's contract remains the No. 1 priority this offseason. The 28-year-old forward can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2025-26 season, when the five-year, $45 million contract ($9 million average annual value) he signed on Sept. 21, 2021, ends."
Still, if Minnesota fails to take a step forward, and if Kaprizov wants a new opportunity, Chicago becomes an intriguing option. With Bedard, Frondell, Levshunov, and a ton of cap flexibility, the Hawks are built to make noise in free agency next year.
It's early, and a lot can change. But Panarin and Kaprizov, alongside the talented core of young players in Chicago, would make the Blackhawks one of the best teams in the NHL.
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