New York Rangers: What to expect from Artemi Panarin

What does it mean?

In looking at these players, most of them they peaked at around age 28.  However, when it comes to great players, there was no precipitous decline in performance after that. Teemu Selanne came back to have two of his best seasons in his mid-thirties.   Jaromir Jagr continued to play at a high level for over a decade and set all kinds of Rangers franchise records when he was 33.

Injuries do play a role in hampering performance, evidenced by the careers of Peter Forsberg and Paul Kariya.   If both of those players had remained healthy their careers would have been longer and their statistics better.

Then you have the case of Martin St. Louis who had some of his best years after he turned 28.

The conclusion has to be that star players are great for reason.  Their greatness is reflected in their consistency and ability to play at a high level even as they age.

While injuries can be a factor, Artemi Panarin has been an iron man, missing only six games in five seasons.  He’s an elusive player who avoids getting hit and if he can keep that up, he can have a long, fruitful career.

The question

The million dollar question is what can we expect from Artemi Panarin in the future? It’s actually a $70 million dollar question since that is how much the Rangers will be paying him until he is 34 years old in 2025-26.

The question is when he is 34, will he be like Martin St. Louis who scored 29 goals and had 94 points at that age or Jaromir Jagr who scored 30 goals and 96 points?  Or will he be Ryan Getzlaf who scored 31 goals and 87 points at age 28 and has never come close to those numbers ever again, scoring 13 goals and 42 points this year at age 34?

The Rangers’ brain trust and most Ranger fans have to believe that Panarin will continue to play at the superstar level for years to come.  He has consistently beaten the odds, undrafted by any NHL team because of his size, coming to the NHL as a free agent and excelling at each of his three NHL stops.  His style of play bodes well of NHL longevity and his versatility will make him a threat for many years.  He’s a player who doesn’t rely on special teams play to pad his stats.  Possibly his greatest attribute is his enthusiasm and his love for the game.

There’s no doubt that Artemi Panarin is a superstar and superstars keep playing that way.  While this might end up as Panarin’s greatest season, there’s no doubt we can look forward to years of excellence, even as he gets older.