Comparing Artemi Panarin to left wingers on the roster

The New York Rangers landed Artemi Panarin last month in one of the biggest unrestricted free agent signings of the 2019 offseason.

Artemi Panarin is an elite talent that the New York Rangers roster has been missing over the last few years. While the Rangers had stints with talent like Marian Gaborik and Rick Nash (arguably a few of the most comparable “elite” talent the Rangers have had) these players got a lot of heat for seasons due to under-performance.

While Panarin’s impact is still something that is waiting to be seen, his consistency throughout his last four seasons in the league sets him apart from the aforementioned players who were attained in the past. If he plays on the top line, as Quinn suggested he will do next season, there’s a good chance this trend will continue.

The Rangers now have a roster full of young players side by side with young league veterans. Because of this, there is a good chance that Panarin will come in and manage to keep his numbers high.

All this has been mentioned to preface how Panarin might compare to the other players slotting in on the left wing if he takes the spot on the top line in 2019-20. Panarin brings talent to the table that the Rangers simply have not had.

Panarin: An Overview

Panarin is a high impact player in all three zones on the ice. Beyond this, in looking at some of his most basic statistics over his last four years in the NHL, you can see just how consistent he has been.

Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table

It is clear from the table above that everything from Panarin’s games played to his average time on ice is near even from year-to-year. And the biggest discrepancies that could be pointed out are in areas that any fan should be pleased to see — in his assists and with his points.

With Panarin’s goals remaining extremely consistent (between 27 and 30) the jump from 43 to 55 and 59 points, respectively, is the direct result of an increase in his primary and secondary contributions. In addition, it seems that these upward trends are especially thanks to Panarin’s play in even-strength situations. In this column, his assists jump from 35 to 41 and 47, respectively, over the last two seasons.

Beyond just his consistency in goals, assists and points, equally impressive is his shooting percentage. If you look at last season’s numbers, especially, Panarin took fewer shots, but had a higher shooting percentage than in the year prior, meaning he was contributing more effective, accurate chances on net.

The Other Players

When it comes to the other players currently on the Rangers roster, they are very different than Panarin. The three who held slots on the left wing last season (that were not moved before July 1 and are at least for now expected to make appearances next season) are Kreider, Namestnikov, and Lemieux.

These three forwards are all vastly different in style and in addition, do not anywhere close to the ceiling that can be expected from Panarin.

Chris Kreider is a true power forward who typically uses his size and speed to overpower defenses. He also uses these abilities to penetrate the zone, post up in front of the net, screen plays, and fight for second chances off rebounds.

Brendan Lemieux plays a gritty, physical game down low in the offensive zone. In his short time on the roster last season, he seemed to rely on this style of play to make an impact.

Vladislav Namestnikov solidly held positioning in the bottom six last year, though he played on the top line in Tampa prior to joining the Rangers. However, despite the lower numbers on his stat lines, Namestnikov is responsible with the puck and generates good opportunity out of the zone and through the neutral zone. He was reliable enough to spend time on both the power play and penalty kill.

Final Thoughts

All this being said, there is one thing that is abundantly clear. Panarin provides the Rangers with consistency, talent, and a playing style that they have sorely missed in years past. He is dynamic and will make an impact on the ice regardless of where he plays. His presence will immediately give the Rangers more flexibility with their other three lines and immediately increase their depth.

The differences we see between him and the other wingers on the left side should be welcomed. It gives the team a well-roundedness in their play that will help to wear teams down and help them create high danger chances.

While there is still talk of potential buyouts of players, continued consideration as to which players have a place as the Rangers aim to complete their rebuild, and concern over cap space as the team still has a handful of players to extend, things are looking up for the Rangers now that they boast an elite talent.