Panarin says he’ll test free agency

LAS VEGAS — It looked like he had run away, escaping to the security of the player’s lounge in the visitor’s locker room at T-mobile Arena.

After being approached Friday by reporters looking to talk about his surprising decision to change agents, Artemi Panarin initially declined. The Blue Jackets’ leading scorer and arguably the most talented player in franchise history, simply exited stage left — walking into the lounge wearing half his gear, including skates.

If that had been it, without Panarin re-emerging later with his cellphone extended, it would have been a fitting departure — for his shocking decision to fire agent Dan Milstein

this week, his reluctance to negotiate with the Blue Jackets on a contract extension, his resistance to interviews in English, and, really, for his entire four-year NHL career.

The “Breadman” has always been hard to corral, on and off the ice. He is a hard read sometimes, and this was one of those times.

Rather than hiding behind an agent or the statement displayed on his phone about the reason he swapped Milstein for Paul Theofanous (Sergei Bobrovsky’s agent), Panarin finally agreed to his first English interview.

Roughly 10 minutes later, two things were clear.

First, his English is pretty darn good, which anybody who had spoken with Panarin privately the past couple of years already knew. (Some of his quotes are lightly edited for grammar in this story, but Panarin had no trouble getting his points across.)

Secondly, he almost certainly is bound for unrestricted free agency July 1 — regardless of whether the Blue Jackets keep him past the NHL’S Feb. 25 trade deadline or spin him off to a team that Panarin might seemingly want to sign with long term.

In that regard, Columbus, it’s not you. It’s him.

“It’s not hard because (my) teammates support me and say to me, ‘We understand you,’ ” Panarin said, when asked how difficult it has been to juggle his contract situation this season. “That’s it, just, I’m OK with that and everybody is OK with that. Everybody understands me. It’s one life, one chance for free agency and I want to test free agency.”

He said that multiple times, even citing the potential length of his next contract as a percentage of his life. That answer was to a question about the billboard campaign around Columbus to entice him to stay, starting with Artemi Panarin said his teammates have supported him as he has dealt with his contract situation this season. an offer of “Free High Bank for life” offered by High Bank Distillery.

“It’s amazing,” Panarin said. “I feel really good after that. I say it’s harder for me to keep talking about my free agency because I see how people want me to stay in Columbus, and it’s harder, but it’s my life.”

It’s not you, Columbus. It’s him. And there was more to that answer coming.

“We only have one life and I want to, like … it’s 10 percent of my life, seven or eight years, you know?” Panarin said. “I want to stay happy every day and I want to see more options.” Options. Plural.

As in the reports of Panarin already having a new team and city picked out might be greatly exaggerated.

“Not right now, no,” he said, when asked if a specific team had his attention. “Seriously, guys, I don’t have a team, not one team where I want to go. But I have many teams. We’ll see what happens in the summer, but right now I don’t know what I want.”

Judging by his reaction when asked whether the Blue Jackets still have a chance, though, it sounds like Panarin may know what he doesn’t want — at least long term. After an awkward laugh and a pause, Panarin answered, “Yeah, but … ” before another awkward laugh.

Asked whether he already had eliminated the Blue Jackets, the focus came back to this season.

“I don’t know,” Panarin said. “Yeah, (they) have a chance, but we’ll see what happens in the summer. I want to still (consider) the season and help the team win the Stanley Cup.”

Which team, though? General manager Jarmo Kekalainen reportedly is listening to offers for Panarin, the shiniest jewel on the rental market. That means there is a decent chance Panarin will finish the season elsewhere, which he is prepared to handle.

“If Jarmo trade me, it’s ‘get working,’ that’s it,“Panarin said, citing his own path to Columbus in a June 2017 trade with the Chicago Blackhawks. “I understand his business, because (Blackhawks general manager) Stan Bowman didn’t ask me. He just traded me. After free agency, I will have a new position, no trades, you know, because I control the situation. Right now, I don’t control it and I’m still just a hockey player.”

A hockey player with a new agent, after parting ways with Milstein with a phone call Thursday before the Jackets’ 4-2 victory at the Arizona Coyotes.

Theofanous, meanwhile, now has two of the Blue Jackets’ biggest stars as his clients. Will ‘Bob’ and ‘Bread’ become a package deal?

“Interesting situation,” said Panarin, who cited Theofanous’ experience with NHL general managers as the primary reason he switched. “I really like (Bobrovsky) and we’re big friends right now, but we have two different lives.”

They share the same locker room, though. For now.