When asked what now changes in the team's approach to the situation after Monday's announcement, Kekalainen had a simple answer.

One day after Artemi Panarin's agent said the star Blue Jackets winger will not re-sign with the team before the end of the season, Columbus general manager Jarmo Kekalainen met with the media Tuesday ahead of the team's game vs. Buffalo at Nationwide Arena.

Of course, the situation itself is rather complicated. Both Panarin and mainstay goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky are able to become unrestricted free agents this offseason, and speculation has been rampant the team could trade one or both in order to not lose two key pieces without compensation.

With that in mind, Kekalainen did expound on his answer knowing the trade deadline nears Feb. 25.

"We've said all along we're going to make hard decisions if we have to, but our focus is on getting our team better and making it as competitive as possible for this spring but also into the future obviously," Kekalainen said. "If we have to make a hard decision, we will. We like Artemi and would like to keep him, and it's his right to go into free agency. If he chooses to do so, we'll be knocking on his door July 1, but we're going to go about our business here and try to win hockey games and make the playoffs and go as deep as possible this spring, too."

When it comes to whether the team must make a move, Kekalainen said he will balance the present and the future. He admitted it would be difficult to bring in immediate help for a team contending for a Metropolitan Division title if it were to trade Panarin, considering any team making a move for the winger would likely not want give up current pieces as it attempts to bolster its roster for playoff hockey.

Last year, the Blue Jackets were in a similar situation with UFAs-to-be Jack Johnson and Matt Calvert. When no move presented itself to Kekalainen that he thought made it making worth a deal, he kept both for the team's postseason run.

"I think we're going to have to weigh the decisions in front of us as far as what is out there in the marketplace," Kekalainen said. "That's the only answer that I'm going to be able to give you. I've made the example from last year when we had offers for Jack Johnson, pending unrestricted free agent, and Matt Calvert. We decided to keep them because we thought that was the best thing for our team in the short term, and the long-term benefits to trading them weren't good enough. It's the same way in these situations.

"My phone has been ringing off the hook today … for various different reasons."

Monday, Panarin's agent Milstein released a statement on Twitter that read: "We have informed the team that we are willing to discuss Artemi's future after the season. Our priority now is to focus on the rest of the season, trying to win a Stanley Cup for the CBJ & their fans"

Statement about Artemi Panarin's future "We have informed the team that we are willing to discuss Artemi's future after the season. Our priority now is to focus on the rest of the season, trying to win a Stanley Cup for the CBJ & their fans". No additional comments will be made.. - Dan Milstein-Hockey (@HockeyAgent1) January 28, 2019

Kekalainen described Panarin's decision not to commit to the Blue Jackets at this point as "disappointing."

"Yeah, it's disappointing, but all we can do is do our best, and I think we've done our part and we've done everything we can to make him feel at home," Kekalainen said. "We have a good team here around him, I think that's basically all we can do. We have a great city here, we have great fans, we have a great facility."

Head coach John Tortorella said the Blue Jackets had a team meeting before practice today with a focus on keeping the team looking forward, something it has been able to do all year amid the uncertainty facing both Panarin and Bobrovsky.

"We've been very honest in that locker room as situations come by, and I think that's the way we've done it right from the get-go because we knew it was going to be that type of year with stuff flying around us," Tortorella said. "We had the honest conversations, and we get abour our business.

"It's been one of the true things I've enjoyed being around this year is watching how our team has handled it. They just get about (their business)."

Video: Torts with a Panarin update

"It's not a distraction," said Panarin's linemate, center Pierre-Luc Dubois. "Whatever happens, happens, but they're two great teammates and they haven't brought it in the room."

Panarin has averaged 1.06 points per game in a season and a half in Columbus. A year ago, he set the team record for points in a season with 82, posting 27 goals and 55 assists in 81 games. He's been even better this year, totaling 19 goals -- seven of which are game winners -- and 34 assists for 53 points in 46 games while playing on the top line with Dubois and All-Star Cam Atkinson.

Bobrovsky, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner, has posted a 19-14-1 record and a 2.91 goals-against average this season.

"The team is handling it great, and both of those players are true pros, too, so they're handling it well and they're playing hard for us," Kekalainen said. "They're going to keep playing hard for us. As long as they're Blue Jackets, they're going to put on that jersey and play their hearts out."