Sometimes a team goes out and spends a ton of money and years on an unrestricted free agent, and it doesn’t work out, which is a nightmare for both the player and the team.
The New York Rangers know this feeling all too well. They signed guys like Theoren Fleury, Valerie Kamensky, Kirk McLean, and other large contracts, and they never ended up panning out.
One that has panned out occurred in the summer of 2019. That summer, on the first day of free agency, the Blueshirts went out and spent top dollar and term on forward Artemi Panarin as they signed him to a seven-year, $81.5 million contract.
To say that Panarin and the Rangers have been a match made in heaven would be an understatement. The singing of Panarin has paid off in dividends.
For starters, Panarin has put up a ton of points in his short tenure with the Blueshirts. As of this writing (Sunday, January 1), the player they call the “Breadman” has 292 points in 223 games with the franchise.
Last season, Panarin had a career-high 96 points on 22 goals and 74 assists. While players like Mika Zibanejad, Adam Fox, and Chris Kreider all enjoyed highly successful offensive seasons, Panarin was the most consistent performer.
Panarin, despite appearing to be “off” in last year’s playoffs, still managed to put up some solid numbers. Not only did his overtime-winning goals in Game 7 against the Pittsburgh Penguins help the team advance to the second round, but he still managed to have 16 points in 20 games. Had he played more like himself, those numbers probably would have been better.
Not surprisingly, the 31-year-old left winger is leading the team in scoring this season with 43 points on ten goals and 33 assists. Yes, the team needs him to start scoring more goals, but even without doing that consistently, he has still been the team’s best offensive player this season.
Panarin has been a leader of this hockey club. He is always having fun out on the ice, working his tail off, and showing the club’s youngsters, especially a player like Vitali Kravtsov, how to succeed in this league.
It is easy to see that Panarin has been worth every penny and more for the Rangers in the first four years of his contract. Given how consistent he is, there is no reason to believe he will not be for the remaining four.
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