3 NY Rangers players who surprised us in an unforgettable 2023-24 season

Nobody saw Artemi Panarin scoring 49 times this season

We don’t know if Artemi Panarin will win the Hart Trophy, but he’s more than made his case, as nobody saw 49 goals coming. Panarin finished the year with a 16.2 shooting percentage, and while that is a career-best, his shot selection and accuracy have been a key trait since he entered the league in 2015-16 during his age-24 season. 

It wasn’t surprising to see Panarin put up a high points total, as he’s rarely dipped below a point per game in any season he’s played in, but the 120-point campaign he put up in 2023-24 was something even the most passionate Rangers fan didn’t see coming. Besides his 120 points and 49 goals, Panarin capped off his unforgettable 2023-24 outing with 71 assists in his age-32 season. 

Whether he keeps this pace up is irrelevant, as the Rangers have fared well, even if he’s putting up something in the 80-to-90-point range. But it also makes you wonder if he’s got an entertaining encore performance in store for us when 2024-25 rolls around. 

Even if it doesn’t come to fruition, Rangers fans will be happy if he continues his legendary pace throughout what should be an exciting postseason and perhaps one that will end with a Stanley Cup.