Another reason to love Artemi Panarin

Artemi Panarin is shaping up to be the best free agent signing ever by the New York Rangers.  Against Vegas he demonstrated why.

When the New York Rangers gave Artemi Panarin $81.5 million over seven years, there were some eyebrows raised.  The naysayers argued that at age 28, the team was committing to him for too long.  Others argued that the team was going down the road of overpaying a free agent who would inevitably be a disappointment.

It’s a small sample size, but 29 games into the new season, Panarin has fulfilled every expectation. He has 14 goals and 22 assists for a team leading 36 points.  At this rate, he will finish with 41 goals and 63 assists, both career highs.   He has stepped up and been the best player and a leader on a very young Rangers team.

In the win over Vegas, it was crucial for the Blueshirts to score first.  They did and of course,  it was Panarin.

Coach David Quinn talked about Panarin’s leadership two weeks ago. “We all have acknowledged his skill set…it’s the thing he’s doing away from the puck, blocking shots, being responsible defensively, coming back hard.  Our guys are feeding off it…feeding off a lot of the things he does.”

While the hockey world knew how skilled he was, the value he brings to the team is much more than that.  In Vegas, on one play, he showed what a great teammate he is.   Look at it.

https://twitter.com/RangersMSGN/status/1203864008119504901

There is no doubt that Panarin knew he could score on a shaky Malcolm Subban on a clear breakaway.  He also knew the score and the game situation.  Panarin knows that Kakko needs a morale boost.  He knows that a Kakko offensive tear is much more valuable than a 15th goal for the Breadman.  That’s why he made the pass.

If anything, Ranger fans underestimated Panarin’s intelligence.  He’s a smart player who has always been more of a set up man than a goal scorer. There’s no lack of situational awareness. If the score was 1-0 there is no doubt that Panarin would have taken the shot if he thought he had the better chance of scoring (which he did).

But Panarin knows that he and Kaapo Kakko have played only 65 minutes together at even strength.  He knows that Kakko is a rare talent and if anyone can unlock it, he can.  He also knows that the coach will only be satisfied by production and if he can get Kakko going, they will continue to play together.

Even after a 5-0 win, Quinn was less than his effusive in his post-game assessment of the Zibanejad-Panarin-Kakko line.  “I though Zibanejad’s line got better as the game went on, I thought they were kind of forcing things, fueling the other team’s offense, but I thought as the game went on they became more responsible…things that they’re gonna need to do.”

In Panarin’s first four seasons his goals per game average was consistently between 0.33 and 0.38.   This season he is at a 0.48 rate, almost one goal every two games.  It is his assist average that has increased , growing from 0.52 per game in his second season in Chicago to 0.75 last season in Columbus.  It’s even better this season at 0.76 per game.

Personality is infectious

This New York Rangers team is developing a personality.  Whether it be Brendan Lemieux‘s black eye or Brendan Smith‘s joyous goal scoring celebration or even Pavel Buchnevich‘s “Captain Happy” face, the team has character.

Don’t think that Panarin’s personality doesn’t have something to do with it.   Look at what he did for a Ranger fan before the Vegas game.

Coach Quinn knows about Panarin’s personality.   “This guy never stops smiling. He enjoys life.   (There’s ) a joke…if I signed an $81 million contract I’d be happy and I’d enjoy life too, but  that’s not the reason this guy smiles every day.  This guy enjoys hockey, he loves hockey. He loves coming to the rink, he loves getting better.”    Quinn continued, “I think of some of the reaction our players have on the bench during the course of a game when he does something…literally guys are elbowing each other saying “you just see that?”  That’s the type of player he is and there aren’t many players like that in the league.”

Panarin’s unselfish play in the Vegas game  no doubt resulted in that same reaction.

Just monitor Panarin’s Twitter feed (@artemiypanarin) and you will see how much he loves playing in New York.  We are lucky to have him.