NEW YORK — There are still Artemi Panarin jerseys in the Madison Square Garden team store. Fans at Thursday’s game against the New York Islanders still had No. 10 on their backs. Panarin still had a nameplate over a stall in the dressing room. He just wasn’t on the ice.

The New York Rangers lost their second game to the New York Islanders in the span of two days, suffering a 2-1 defeat on Thursday night, as the absence of Artemi Panarin is clearly taking a toll on the team.

The New York Rangers have potentially seen the last game from their leading scorer in five of the past six seasons.

The New York Rangers are preparing for Artemi Panarin's eventual exit with this recent move, signaling a deal could be close.

The pending Rangers sell-off is really about to take off now.