If the thought is to trade Panarin and get something for him instead of going for it this year, then I started thinking about who else to trade if we are more concerned with the future than now.
The obvious person, if you believe in selling high and buying low, is Ryan Murray. He is having a really good season, D is our strength, and he is still an RFA. He should bring back a decent return.
So I would build a package around Panarin and Murray and look for picks/prospects. No playoff team looking to get better is going to give us a solid C as a return.
I am not necessarily advocating this, I just think it makes sense if you want to make sure we get something for Panarin before he walks.