Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen met with star winger Artemi Panarin and his agent in Nice, France on Monday, but it appears the two sides are no closer to reaching a contract extension.

According to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, Kekalainen declined to comment on the meeting, while Panarin's agent, Dan Milstein, called the meeting a "good conversation" but added there was no progress on a contract.

Portzline reported before the meeting that Kekalainen did not intend to use the meeting as a chance to convince Panarin to re-sign, but rather to lay out a plan for how to proceed. He added the Blue Jackets general manager would inform that he could be traded at any time if the team gets the offer they're looking for.

Panarin informed the Blue Jackets back in June that he wouldn't be signing an extension when he became eligible on July 1. Milstein has since said Panarin is not ready to commit to staying in the state of Ohio long-term.

"He’s not ready to sign. Is he gonna sign? Look at it this way, I don’t even know what they’re going to offer," Milstein told Portzline last week. "I’ve read some comments that this is the agent’s work, that we’re holding out to get the most money out of them, but it isn’t. I think they’d give him $11 million if he really wanted it. But I haven’t even discussed anything with them. I’ve seen reports of $9 million to $10 million. You’ve seen the recent signings that are happening. We’re not holding out for more money, because if I called Jarmo right now, he’d probably drive up to my house and we’d put a deal together.

"[Panarin’s] biggest thing is… he loves the team, he loves the coach. It’s not the team or the way they treat him. It’s about does he want to spend the next eight years in Columbus? That’s the only thing at stake right now. If it was a two-year deal we probably would have done it. But it isn’t a two-year deal. It’s gonna have to be an extended, seven- or eight-year deal put in place."

Panarin, 26, excelled in his first season with the Blue Jackets. He topped the team in both goals and assists after being traded from the Chicago Blackhawks last June.