Artemi Panarin takes a hit in NHL Network rankings after down year

Artemi Panarin has been the New York Rangers' best player since joining them for the start of the 2019-20 season, and as such he's been held in high regard as one of the game's elite players. A year after having a career campaign in which he established a career high in points, Panarin's stock around the league has dropped significantly.

In the latest edition of NHL Network's top 20 wings right now, the Rangers' forward finished 10th overall, one spot ahead of Jake Guentzel, and one behind Kyle Connor.  The ranking for Panarin makes a ton of sense, as the 2024-25 was a down year by Panarin's standards. He appeared in 80 games and scored 37 goals while assisting 52 others for a grand total of 89 points.

Panarin was ranked 5th by NHL Network in 2024, and that was on the heels of a campaign in which he tallied 49 goals, 71 assists, and 120 points. Sliding down the list five spots makes a lot of sense when you consider he regressed by 31 points year over year, and that's a big jump for a player who more than likely has already had his best overall season as a pro.

Additionally, when you look and see that Panarin’s shooting percentage only dropped from 16.2 to 15.6 percent, you can start to see why fans might be concerned about his play. While fans should take some solace in the fact he remained efficient, they should take note that he finished with 66 fewer shots on goal. Maybe he will get his volume up next season, but the considerable drop off could be a sign that he’s no longer able to generate chances with the same level of ease he did the year before.

Panarin turns 34 in October and is now in the final season of a seven-year contract that was signed in July of 2019. The Rangers' highest paid player has tallied a line of 186-364-550 in 430 games since slipping a Broadway Blueshirt over his head, and as of this writing the two sides haven't talked about a contract extension.

Some of that could be waiting to see how the forward performs in front of new head coach Mike Sullivan. It could also be a sign the team is keeping options open to see if younger star players eventually hit the market next summer.

In any case, 2025-26 is a big year for Panarin and the Rangers. While the team is glad to have a top 10 winger, they are going to need Panarin to be more like the top five winger he was in 2023-24 if they are serious about returning to contention and snapping a 31 year, and counting, Stanley Cup drought.