According to his agent, Artemi Panarin is "genuinely happy" in Columbus this season, but the pending unrestricted free agent is still not ready to discuss a contract extension with the Blue Jackets.

Dan Milstein confirmed Monday that he and Panarin will sit down to discuss the situation next month, as TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reported last week.

“We would sit down for business as soon as Artemi is ready,” Milstein told The Athletic. “He is genuinely happy with the way things are going this season.

“We will talk business during his break. For now, no pressure from the club. It’s all about winning.”

Panarin is one of two pending unrestricted free agents on the Blue Jackets, along with starting goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. During the off-season, both Russian stars expressed interest in playing out their current contracts this season.

Milstein also told The Athletic he met with Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen on Sunday, but the two talked about other clients of Milstein's, not Panarin. 

Kekalainen added Monday he hasn't discussed a Panarin trade with any NHL club for several weeks. The 27-year-old posted three points in Monday's win over the Detroit Red Wings to take over the team's scoring lead with 26 points.  

“The one thing that we’ve said all along is that Artemi Panarin is a great teammate, he’s a very good professional. Guys love him,” Kekalainen told LeBrun in an article published on The Athletic last week. “We love him. He’s a great guy. So this is not always just about points and skills and talent, it’s about being a good teammate and a good pro. He’s all those things. That’s why we told him, `We want to keep you.’ That’s why we haven’t got into any trade discussions. We want to see if he wants to stay. If he wants to stay, great, we’ll be happy. If he doesn’t, then we’ll have to make those decisions.’’

A two-time 30-goal scorer with the Chicago Blackhawks prior to being traded to Columbus in 2017, Panarin has six goals this season. He scored 27 goals last season. 

Panarin debuted at No. 10 on TSN Hockey's first Trade Bait list of the season last month, while TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie added last week he could draw a salary above $10 million on his next contract.