from Frank Seravalli of TSN,

Speculation has connected Panarin to Florida much of this season – heightened by the hiring of his former Chicago coach Joel Quenneville – but it has also been thought he is in search of a big-market team with a large Russian population.

A return to Chicago doesn’t seem to be in the cards cap-wise, but how would the New York Rangers look?

The Big Apple could be an even juicier fit for Panarin if Columbus president John Davidson returns home to New York to succeed Glen Sather as Rangers’ president of hockey operations. But there will be no shortage of interested parties.

There is also no shortage of Blue Jackets on the board – Panarin is among three in the top five alone with an expected exodus unlike any other. Two-time Vezina winner Sergei Bobrovsky is No. 3 while centre Matt Duchene is just behind him at No. 4. Add Ryan Dzingel and Columbus is represented by four of the top 16 players.

Here is the first TSN Hockey Top 25 Free Agent Frenzy list of the spring:

more