There is a long-standing history of former New York Rangers returning to Madison Square Garden and having a direct say in the outcome. That wasn't quite the story in Artemi Panarin's first trip back, but he made sure his second visit rubbed pure salt in the wound.
In Monday night's 6-3 defeat, which featured James Reimer's brief, disastrous debut before getting yanked, Panarin took over the building. Alongside former Rangers bench boss Peter Laviolette, Panarin lit up the scoreboard with a goal and an assist.
You could feel it in the air before puck drop: No. 10 was going to find the back of the net. The only thing missing was his signature high-kick celebration.
The Breadman snipes from his favorite office
Artemi Panarin finds the net at MSG! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/7rx9ODdYv8
— NHL (@NHL) October 27, 2026
The goal itself was vintage Panarin. Operating on the man advantage early in the second period, Panarin crept down toward his favorite office at the left faceoff circle. With traffic screening rookie netminder Dylan Garand, Panarin walked in, picked his corner, and wired a laser over the blocker.
It was the exact shot Rangers fans celebrated for five seasons, and seeing it executed against New York in their own barn was a gut check.
When President and General Manager Chris Drury decided to move on from Panarin last season, the rationale made sense on paper. Panarin was heading deeper into his 30s, and the organization needed to clear financial runway while kickstarting a retool.
Over the summer, Drury committed that franchise-winger money to Pavel Dorofeyev, handing him a seven-year deal at an identical $11 million AAV. The objective was to replace Panarin’s offensive engine with a younger, ascending sniper.
Two seasons heading in completely opposite directions
A month into the 2026-27 season, both scripts have flipped sideways in the worst possible way for New York. Panarin has been electric for Los Angeles, racking up seven goals and four assists for 11 points in just 10 games while dragging a lackluster Kings offense behind him.
Dorofeyev, meanwhile, has endured a brutal transition to Broadway. In 14 games, the Russian winger has managed just three goals, sits at an eye-popping -13 rating, and was demoted to the third line by Mike Sullivan during Saturday's loss in Ottawa.
While Dorofeyev and Panarin were not traded for each other—the Rangers acquired prospect Liam Greentree and draft capital from Los Angeles in the initial deal—they represent an implicit dollar-for-dollar swap. New York invested $11 million per season into Dorofeyev to deliver the elite offensive finish that Panarin provided for half a decade.
The swap looks worse by the day
Right now, that comparison is souring with every passing week. Dorofeyev continues to generate high-danger opportunities and hit goalposts, but the puck simply refuses to cross the line. Panarin, on the other hand, remains one of the most clinical, lethal finishers in the game.
It was fun to see Panarin back on Garden ice, but watching him put on a clinic while his high-priced successor struggles for answers was tough to stomach. The Rangers enter an extended break searching for balance, and they desperately need Dorofeyev to find his scoring touch before early-season frustration turns into a full-blown crisis.
Add us as a preferred source on Google