The NHL roster freeze ahead of the Olympics was 3 o'clock eastern on Wednesday afternoon. That meant that any trades before the freeze needed to get done by then. Rumors were circulating that the New York Rangers were looking to get an Artemi Panarin deal done.
That was going to be easier said than done. However, Panarin might end up being the biggest name moved by the trade deadline next month. There is still time for another big-name player to be traded, but it'll be hard to find a player like Panarin to trade.
As far as the Boston Bruins go, they were a winner, for now, after Panarin was traded from the Rangers to the Los Angeles Kings right before 3 p.m. EST. You might ask, why would the Black and Gold be a winner when a player was shipped to the Western Conference? It's simple.
Bruins catch a break with Artemi Panarin traded from Rangers to the Kings
When the trade broke from Adam Schefter and Emily Kaplan of ESPN (yes, the same Adam Schefter who is the network's NFL insider is now breaking NHL trades during Super Bowl week), the destination being the Kings, it was big news for Boston. Why? Well, several Eastern Conference teams were linked to the forward, and it would have been another obstacle for the Black and Gold when it comes to the playoff race.
The Washington Capitals and Florida Panthers, both behind Boston in the wild-card race, were linked to him, while the Toronto Maple Leafs, who are suddenly making a move on the Bruins, were also linked to him. If Panarin ended up there, it would have been bad news. Even worse news would have been if he landed with the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Atlantic Division leaders. If Boston somehow finds their way into the postseason, Tampa Bay could be an opponent in the first round.
All of those teams have time, along with the Bruins, to make moves by the March 6 deadline at 3 p.m. EST., but for one afternoon, Don Sweeney and Boston caught a break with Panarin going to the Kings and the Western Conference.