Rangers' Artemi Panarin Says NHL Season Shouldn't Resume Without Escrow Fix

The New York Rangers are among the 24 teams set to participate in the NHL's restart, yet star forward Artemi Panarin doesn't believe the players have reached a deal fair enough for them to return to the ice.

In a tweet Thursday, the 28-year-old called for players not to report for camp until financial issues, specifically escrow, have been resolved.

Most importantly, Panarin called for unity among players in trying to reach new terms with the league's owners.

Here's how the current agreement looks per ESPN's Greg Wyshynski:

"The current financial system in the NHL involves a 50/50 split in revenue between the players and owners. The escrow system, which calls for a percentage of withholding from players' paychecks each season, maintains that balance by either funneling money back to the owners in the case of a revenue shortfall, or having it refunded to the players.

"The players anticipate a massive escrow hit after the NHL paused its season on March 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic and also because the league plans to restart the season without fans in the stands.

"The NHL is one of the most gate-driven major sports in North America."

While the NHLPA has agreed to the league's plan for the restart, there is no deal completed to send players back to training camp yet.

Panarin, who broke into the league with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015, is a former Calder Trophy winner as the league's Rookie of the Year who has developed into a prolific scorer over his five-year NHL career.

In 2019-20, he's recorded 95 points (32 goals, 63 assists), though the Rangers struggled over the course of the regular season, going 37-28-5 (79 points) and placing second-to-last in the Metropolitan Division.