Why Artemi Panarin has to be big for the Rangers again this year

When fans talk about the New York Rangers, some players do not get as much love as they should, Artemi Panarin is one of the players that should lead the conversation. He is not someone that fans talk about a lot, despite the fact he is always hovering around that 90-point mark and he is one of the best players, if not the best player, on the Rangers roster at this point in time. He’s certainly the best forward.

With that said, he needs to be as good as he is. Artemi Panarin is one of the best wingers in the NHL. I would go as far as to say that when Panarin is at his best, he is the best winger in the NHL. There is nothing he cannot do. A genuine playmaker with the ability to still notch 30 goals a year, Panarin is a true threat to every team he plays against. If he has enjoyed a Hall of Fame career or not is a conversation for after he retires.

Coming off a year where Panarin hit the 76-point plateau and the 96-point mark for the first time in his career, it was only his goal-scoring that let him down. A lot of love was given out to some of the other players, a Vezina-winning netminder and a 50-goal scoring power forward. Both are truly great achievements, but Panarin should always be in those conversations.

Now, Panarin is now 30, and he’ll be 31 before Halloween. He’s going to start closing on the twilight of his career soon, and with him being the second-highest paid player in the NHL still having four years left at more than $11 million is not going to be easy should he suddenly decline. Now, with that said, he could continue to be Artemi Panarin, and that is what the Rangers need from the Russian.

If Panarin can hit the 100-point mark this year, eclipse 30 goals as he did in his first season as a Ranger, and be the big-time player everyone knows he is, he could help the Rangers cover a lot of what they lost this summer. New York will need Artemi to be one of the driving forces behind its success this year. He’s more than capable of doing that, and he has done it before. But he could make this Rangers team a genuine threat to go deep again.

Question for Blue Line Station readers: Do you think Artemi Panarin is unrecognized in our fanbase?