Artemi Panarin had a fabulous debut for the New York Rangers. Is he at his peak or will he get even better?
Artemi Panarin joined the New York Rangers in his prime. At age 28, he had one of the greatest offensive seasons in franchise history, despite the shortened season. We all know the numbers, but projected over an 82 games season, he would have finished with 38 goals, 74 assists and 112 points.
74 assists would have placed him third all-time behind Brian Leetch‘s 80 assists in 1991-92 and Sergei Zubov‘s 77 assists in 1993-94. The only Ranger to score more than 112 points was Jaromir Jagr who had 123 points in 2005-06. It was truly a season for the ages and all the more remarkable was the fact that almost 75% of his points were at even strength. In Jagr’s record setting year, only 57% of his points were at even strength.
So, we have clearly established that Artemi Panarin had one of the great offensive performances by a Ranger. The question is will he get better or begin a decline as he ages. Let’s compare him to some other star NHL players.