Artemi Panarin is continuing to show that he hasn’t lost a step.
Going into the 2025-26 season, there were a lot of questions around Panarin’s future, given that he was without a contract extension past this season.
Well into his 30s, concerns about Panarin’s age and longevity were prevalent when it came to the argument of the New York Rangers giving him a long-term contract extension or opting to go in a different direction.
The noise around his contract situation became even louder when Panarin just didn’t look like himself to start the season.
A lower-body injury kept Panarin out for a good chunk of training camp, and his slow start to the season caught the attention of not just the local media, but the national media.
Panarin’s six-game pointless streak was when a very important question began to hover over everyone’s mind: Had Father Time finally caught up to Panarin?
Trade rumors ran rampant, and the reports indicating the Rangers’ patient approach regarding signing Panarin to a contract extension indicated the Russian superstar was losing leverage in negotiations.
Through this most recent stretch, Panarin has completely flipped the narrative.
It didn’t start on the ice. The 34-year-old decided to shave his head and proclaimed it was time for a change.
“I had to change something,” Panarin said about shaving his head. “Next stop, left stick for me.”
This actually wasn’t the first time he shaved his head as a symbol of individual change. Before the 2023-24 season, Panarin decided to shave his head so he could get a “fresh start” and “remove evil energy.” He went on to have a career year, posting 49 goals, 71 assists, and 120 points.
Since shaving his head, Panarin has recorded three goals, six assists, and nine points over the Rangers’ last four games.
Beyond just his stats, Panarin has seemed to be playing a lot more freely with the same magician-type hockey qualities we’ve been accustomed to seeing from him.
Panarin is proving that Father Time has not caught up to him just yet and he’s still worthy of being considered one of the most highly explosive offensive talents in the NHL.
While Panarin still isn’t guaranteed to get the long-term contract extension he is coveting from the Rangers, he’s continuing to make a strong case for why he’s the Blueshirts’ most valuable player.
Nathaniel Lowe is expected to be cut loose by the Red Sox this week. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)AP
The Red Sox have some roster cleanup due this week, with Tuesday marking the date by which teams need to add eligible prospects to their 40-man rosters to protect them from the Rule 5 draft and Friday representing the annual non-tender deadline for arbitration-eligible players. Don’t expect Boston to clear a roster spot by cutting bait with a homegrown former All-Star starter, though.
At this point, Boston is unlikely to non-tender injured righty Tanner Houck, multiple sources said Monday. With a 40-man roster crunch coming, there was some thought that cutting bait with Houck was possible due to his current situation. Houck, who took home $3.95 million in 2025, is projected (by MLBTradeRumors’ widely used model) to take home the same salary in 2026, but is expected to miss most if not all of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August. Considering the 2027 season is in jeopardy due to labor tensions and Houck is set to hit free agency after that year, the possibility existed that the Red Sox could non-tender (release) Houck into free agency to save a bit of money knowing he won’t be ready to pitch for most of 2026. But sources indicate the Red Sox plan to tender him a contract.
It’s unclear if the sides have talked about a creative long-term deal. Tendering Houck a contract would keep him under club control ahead of negotiations to avoid arbitration and set a 2026 salary later in the winter.
By Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, teams must add eligible prospects to their 40-man rosters to protect them from being poached in next month’s Rule 5 draft. The Red Sox, who have a full 40-man roster, don’t have a long list of candidates but are expected to make at least a move or two. Right-handed prospect David Sandlin is a virtual lock to be added, requiring at least one 40-man roster spot to be cleared. Lefties Shane Drohan and Hayden Mullins, righties Yordanny Monegro (injured) and Jedixson Paez and outfielder Miguel Bleis are among the other potential Rule 5 candidates in the organization. If the Red Sox want to make sure any of those players aren’t taken in the Rule 5 draft, they can add them. Doing so would require spots to be cleared.
Any roster spots that need to be cleared for prospect additions need to be opened simultaneously Tuesday, which is a day when small trades are usually made throughout baseball. Therefore, the Red Sox could get a jump on the Friday non-tender deadline (set for 8 p.m. ET) by moving on from players four days early. The non-tender date represents an opportunity for teams to cut bait with arbitration-eligible and pre-arbitration-eligible players and send them into free agency. The Red Sox, unlike in previous years, could be busy on non-tender day.
The most obvious non-tender candidate on the roster is first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, who is projected to earn $13.5 million in 2026. That mark represents much more than what he’d get on the open market after a down season that included him being cut by the Nationals. Lowe will almost certainly be lopped off the roster but could re-sign at a lower rate as he tests the open market. Boston is anticipating the healthy return of Triston Casas next season and is looking to upgrade the first base position via free agency or trade.
The Red Sox have seven other arbitration-eligible players and are certain to retain Kutter Crawford, Romy Gonzalez, Triston Casas and Brennan Bernardino at their low projected numbers. Connor Wong, who is projected to make $1.6 million in 2026, is expected to be tendered after Craig Breslow gave him a vote of confidence last week. Cooper Criswell already agreed to a one-year, $800,000 deal for 2026, removing him from non-tender consideration.
In addition to Lowe, the Red Sox could cut bait with some younger players on the roster. Righty Josh Winckowski (projected to make $800,000) is a candidate to be cut from the roster, as is lefty Jovani Morán. Tough roster decisions might be made with the utility group of Vaughn Grissom, David Hamilton, Nate Eaton and Nick Sogard later in the winter but for now, those players are projected to be safe.