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On Thursday, we were treated to one of the biggest trades of the NHL season so far when the Rangers shipped Artemi Panarin off to the Kings. The forward still isn’t sure what jersey number he’ll be rocking in Los Angeles, and he noted there might be an issue with one possibility because it’s already claimed by the mascot for the team.
The number an athlete wears on their jersey might not have any impact on how they play, but a lot of players have an emotional attachment to those digits, which can have sentimental value and frequently serve as a tribute to some aspect of their past or someone special in their lives.
They can also be at the root of some minor issues when they end up on a new team after being traded or signing a contract in free agency only to end up sharing a locker room with someone who has already been assigned their number.
Some players will simply opt for a new one, but it’s not rare for them to negotiate with a teammate who’s persuaded to give theirs up; Stefon Diggs paid $100,000 to get #1 when he was traded to the Texans in 2024, while Deion Sanders bought Alundis Brice a BMW to take possession of #21 when he took his talents to the Cowboys.
Artemi Panarin found himself dealing with a similar situation in the wake of a trade from the Rangers to the Kings, and he ran into a somewhat unexpected issue when examining his options courtesy of his new squad’s mascot.
Artemi Panarin said he’s not sure if he’ll be able to wear #72 with the Kings because it’s already taken by the team’s mascot, Bailey
Last month, the Rangers sent out yet another letter to fans concerning an impending rebuild that was officially positioned as a “retool,” and on Thursday, Artemi Panarin became the first major domino to fall when he was traded to the Kings midway through his seventh season in New York.
The Russian winger wore #72 during his time in the KHL and stuck with those digits when he made his NHL debut with the Blackhawks in 2015. However, Sergei Bobrovsky’s claim led to him switching to #9 (the sum of 7 and 2) after he was traded to the Blue Jackets in 2017, and he had to go with #10 when he joined the Rangers in 2019 because two former players, Andy Bathgate and Adam Graves, had his previous one retired in the rafters at Madison Square Garden.
He will now be forced to switch things up yet again after arriving in Los Angeles, as 21-year veteran Corey Perry is currently rocking #10. #9 is also out of the question due to Adrian Kempe, and while Panarin says he’s considered a return to #72, he noted he wasn’t sure if it was up for grabs thanks to Bailey, the lion that serves as the mascot for the Kings.
According to The Athletic, he addressed the plight on Thursday, saying, “Every number what I like is [taken]. I would love 72 but the mascot is 72 there. I don’t know if I can do that. Just thinking probably like one more day and then pick it.”
It does not seem like there is an actual rule that would prevent him from wearing #72 if he really had his heart set on it, as it should go without saying that mascots are not listed as members of the active roster. However, that didn’t stop Bailey from having some fun with the situation in a post where he hinted he’d like some bread from The Breadman in exchange for the number.
Panarin, I’m listening… pic.twitter.com/5q7NuCkotM
— Bailey LA Kings (@BaileyLAKings) February 6, 2026
It’s also worth noting that Bailey originally adopted #72 because it’s a reference to the average temperature in Los Angeles during the warmer months of the year, but it appears that number has risen by a few degrees since the mascot was unveiled in 2007.
Panarin has not decided on his new number as of this writing, so we’ll have to wait and see how things play out.