How does the New York Rangers’ super twosome compare to other New York duos?
When the 2019 NHL season started, the New York Rangers flew under the radar. Most people considered this as another rebuilding year, even though they had one of the top off-seasons in the league. The team was too young, inexperienced, and had many acquisitions that never played together. On top of that, they are in arguably the hardest division in hockey.
But, as the year progressed, the Rangers found out that they have something that few teams can say they possess, two superstars who both tallied over 70 points. Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad are one of the league’s best duos.
Panarin had a season many thought was one the best in the NHL, racking up 95 points in a shortened season (32 goals, 63 assists). He is one of the leading candidates for the Hart trophy and is a finalist for the Lindsay Award, voted on by his fellow players. In his first year with the Rangers, it looks like he is worth every penny they spent for him.
Zibanejad played just 57 games this year, missing 13 with an upper-body injury, but he was still able to score 41 goals and have added 34 assists. He was fifth in the NHL in goals scored and there was no sign of stopping him late in the season. Then, COVID-19 hit and the whole league was stopped.
There is no doubt that Panarin and Zibanejad are the two best players on the Rangers and are one of the best one-two punches in the entire league. But how do they compare the two best offensive players on the other pro teams in the tri-state area, not just in hockey. We are blessed with some truly dynamic duos in all sports. How do these Rangers stars compare?
Let’s start with their NHL competition.