Who will be the 2021-22 New York Rangers Team MVP?

After an up-and-down 2020-21 season, is 2019-20 Panarin here for good?

There’s no sugarcoating that Artemi Panarin‘s 58 points in 42 games did not tell the whole story of the superstar’s experiences last season.

From the Russian allegations to the Tom Wilson incident, there were numerous circumstances out of his Panarin’s control that contributed to an already difficult COVID-shortened schedule.

The reason I bring up his 2019-20 campaign is not just his 95 points in 69 games, which would have been more if not cut short due to the pandemic, but this was also a year he was a Hart Trophy finalist and took home the team MVP during his electric Blueshirts debut season after previous stops in Chicago and Columbus.

Because he went through the highs of 2019 and lows of 2020, a more mature and experienced Panarin is a scary sight for the rest of the NHL, and his team-leading 33 points in 29 games has been a joy to watch.

Many of the same reasons Panarin was MVP two seasons ago also apply to his candidacy this season. However, he does need to pick up his scoring pace in order to replicate his blistering point totals from 2019-20.

There is no doubt that Panarin will always be a contender for the team hardware due to his unselfish playing style, as well as the impact he’s had on his fellow linemates. The “bread and butter” duo alongside Strome has turned the former Edmonton Oiler into the Rangers No. 2 center, and another big question that will be answered in 2022 is if Panarin’s partner-in-crime will be dealt at the upcoming trade deadline.

Strome currently sits fifth on the team in points with 21 (six goals and 15 assists), and I believe a lot of Panarin’s second-half production will rely on the continued dominance of the first power play unit (25.6% is seventh in the NHL), and a surefire solution to the right wing spot on Panarin’s second line.

Panarin-Strome-Kakko seemed to finally mesh during certain points of the first 30 games of the 2021-22 season, but lately Gallant has elected to keep utility-forward Dryden Hunt in that opposing wing spot. Hunt has only tallied seven total points thus far, with Kakko getting the first line promotion, but many have called for a switch of the two wingers.

Whether Hunt keeps the spot, Kakko moves back, or Drury grabs a top-six rental at the trade deadline, Panarin will still put up elite numbers. But as shown before, when former Blueshirt Jesper Fast provided a gritty presence on this same line, Panarin’s production elevates to another level with the right player in that spot.

In 2019, the Russian phenom showed he can almost reach 100 points and win team MVP playing with a winger like Fast, who only had 29 points in 69 games played, so the 2021 Panarin may just need to find the right linemate to continue his offensive dominance in five-on-five opportunities.

Despite currently leading the team in points, Panarin’s impact both on and off the ice has done wonders for the Rangers, putting him in another solid position to potentially win team MVP, barring any unforeseen changes in the second half.