There is a lot to like when it comes to New York Rangers forward Artemi Panarin.
For starters, all Panarin has done since joining the Blueshirts is produce. Here are his season-by-season totals with the Rangers:
– 2019-20: 32 goals and 63 assists for 95 points in 69 games
– 2020-21: 17 goals and 41 assists for 58 points in 42 games
– 2021-22: 22 goals and 74 assists for 96 points in 75 games
– 2022-23: 29 goals and 63 assists for 92 points in 82 games
In each year that Panarin has been with the club, he has been the team’s leading scorer. That is a model of consistency right there.
Secondly, he stays healthy. Panarin is a player that does not get hurt often, which is a great thing for the Rangers because when he is on the ice, goals and points come along with it.
Can you imagine if the Rangers lost Panarin for a significant amount of time in the regular season? Sure, the team has the likes of Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Vincent Trocheck, and Filip Chytil that they can turn to, but except for Zibanejad, no one produces the way Panarin does.
Lastly, in Panarin, the Rangers have a player that is a threat to score every time he is on the ice. He can dangle with the best of them, has great vision, has a terrific shot, and can do so many things with the puck that not many other players on the Rangers can do.
Clearly, the fact that the Rangers have Panarin is a good thing. He is fun to watch, well-liked by his teammates and the media and has helped the Rangers get into the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.
With all of that said, however, there is clearly a big-time disconnect in his game. If you are a Rangers fan, then you probably have an idea of what I am about to talk about.
For whatever reason, Panarin has yet to truly step up to the plate when it matters the most, which is in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Yes, it is great that he is their best offensive player in the regular season, but if you cannot cut it in the playoffs, it really does not matter.
Panarin was a no-show in this year’s playoffs in his team’s first-round ouster at the hand of the New Jersey Devils. In seven games, he had just two assists and 15 shots on goal.
Those are abysmal numbers from who is supposed to be the team’s best player. He wasted a lot of shot opportunities, gave up the puck a ton, and was clearly gripping the stick too tightly.
Not only was he terrible in this year’s playoffs, but he was also not great in last year’s postseason. Yes, he had 16 points, with the exception of his big overtime goal in Game 7 against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round, a lot of his points ended up being meaningless.
I find it hard to believe that Panarin is not made for the biggest stage in this game. Panarin is a huge offensive talent that can produce with the best of them, and yet, when the games matter and the season is on the line, he disappears.
That is not a good thing considering the fact that the Rangers are paying him $11.6 million for the next three seasons. He may be living up the money when it comes to the way he plays in the regular season, but when it comes to the playoffs, it is hard to say that has earned top dollar.
Something needs to change when it comes to Panarin and the playoffs. The question is what can and will be done to make sure that come this time next year, and assuming the Rangers get into the playoffs, he plays exactly the way he does in the regular season.
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