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Columbus distillery offers Blue Jackets' Artemi Panarin vodka for life

By Connor Grott
Columbus Blue Jackets forward Artemi Panarin (9) carries the puck up the ice against the Washington Capitals on April 12 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Panarin was offered vodka for life by a Columbus-based distillery to stay with the team. Photo by Alex Edelman/UPI
Columbus Blue Jackets forward Artemi Panarin (9) carries the puck up the ice against the Washington Capitals on April 12 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Panarin was offered vodka for life by a Columbus-based distillery to stay with the team. Photo by Alex Edelman/UPI | License Photo

Jan. 10 (UPI) -- A Columbus-based distillery offered Blue Jackets star Artemi Panarin free vodka for life if he agreed to extend his contract with the team.

High Bank Distillery pledged free vodka to the young forward with a new billboard posted to social media on Tuesday.

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Panarin found the billboard on Wednesday and took a picture with the sign.

The 27-year-old's future with the Blue Jackets remains cloudy. Panarin becomes an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the season and a contract extension remains far away.

The NHL's trade deadline arrives on Feb. 25, and it is unclear whether Panarin will request a trade. He has a team-best 45 points in 40 games this season.

Panarin went undrafted in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft and began his professional career in the Kontinental Hockey League. He signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Chicago Blackhawks in April 2015 and was eventually traded to Columbus on June 23, 2017.

The Blue Jackets sit at third in the Metropolitan Division and sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 24-15-3 record prior to a matchup against the Nashville Predators on Thursday night.

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Columbus travels to play the Washington Capitals (26-12-4) on Saturday.

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