Artemi Panarin has been one of the best Russian players ever to grace the ice in the NHL. He's one of the most dynamic wingers in the world and can break a game open. He's on the verge of cracking the top 10 of the New York Rangers' all-time scoring list, but there is a more impressive list on which he's closing the gap. Panarin will end his career as one of the best Russian scorers in NHL history.
Russian Records
Looking at the long list of Russia's best-producing NHL players, Panarin currently ranks 10th with 838 points, just above Sergei Gonchar. He's chasing down some of the greatest players Russia has ever produced, starting with Vyacheslav Koslov, who is 27 points ahead of the Rangers winger. That's a player he'll pass either later this season or at the beginning of next, as Panarin remains remarkably consistent despite now being on the wrong side of 30.
Ahead of Koslov is Ilya Kovalchuk, whose dominance in Atlanta will be remembered forever. If you want a completely unrelated fun fact, he's still the top scorer in the history of the Winnipeg Jets despite never having played a game for them. That's how good Kovalchuk was as a Thrasher, so the Breadman will do well to pass Kovalchuk, who sits 38 points ahead of Panarin. That's another one that is obtainable this season for the Breadman if he plays well.
Following Kovalchuk, we get the great Pavel Datsyuk, one of the best two-way forwards ever to grace the NHL. The Red Wings great is 80 points ahead of Panarin, and the Rangers forward will be looking to catch him next year, probably in the first 20 games of the season, knowing the rate Panarin produces. That'll be a great chase before we get to the first active player ahead of Panarin on this list.
Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov is 117 points ahead of Panarin, which will grow as Kucherov continues to dominate in Tampa Bay. If Kucherov retired today, it would be a tricky chase for Panarin to catch the two-time Stanley Cup Champion. Ahead of Kucherov is Alexi Kovalev, the first player to cross the 1000-point mark on this list. That will take Panarin more than just next year to cross, as he needs more than 170 points to chase it down. It's a lot to ask of the Russian winger, but there's no doubt he'll break the 1000-point mark before his career ends.
Rangers Records
On the Rangers' all-time points list, Panarin is 12th with 518 points, just behind Mika Zibanejad, who got 564. Vic Hadfield and Chris Kreider share 9 and 10 with 572 points, respectively. Steve Vickers' 584 is 8th. All these players are catchable for the Breadman, who has dominated in a Rangers uniform. Where we start to question whether it is doable or not is Ron Greschner. At 610 points, that's a long way from where the Breadman sits. He could end up high on both the Rangers and Russian all-time lists.