Artemi Panarin‘s agent, Tom Lynn, and Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman have discussed a contract extension for the reigning Calder Trophy winner, Lynn told Chris Kuc of The Chicago Tribune on Tuesday.
Panarin, 24, will enter the second year of his two-year, entry-level contract with a base salary of $812,500 this season. He earned $2,575,000 in bonuses after scoring 30 goals and 77 points during his rookie season.
“I came to play on the NHL level not because of money and contracts,” Panarin said via an interpreter to the Tribune. “My agent will deal with the rest.”
There are no reports of what Panarin or Lynn are seeking in contract negotiations. Scott Powers of The Athletic says Brandon Saad, Aleksander Barkov and Vladimir Tarasenko are possible comparisons to what Panarin could command. As restricted free agents in 2015, Saad received a six-year, $36 million deal with Columbus, Tarasenko cashed in for eight years at $60 million in St. Louis, while Barkov landed a six-year, $35.4 million extension that starts with his first RFA season.
“As of right now, I like everything and … I’m very content,” Panarin said of staying with the Hawks past next season.