For the first time in franchise history, the New York Rangers swept a road trip consisting of 5+ games! 2 points were secured in Seattle, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Winnipeg and the vibes have never been better. Adam Fox made his presence known all throughout western Canada, Jonathan Quick/Igor Shesterkin combined for some stellar goaltending, but the MVP of the expedition has to be the hairless wonder himself, Artemi Panarin.
Out Of The Gates Flying
“The Bread Man” has 15 points in the team’s first 9 games, most by a Ranger since Mark Messier in the 1992-1993 season.
He’s on an absolute heater to start the year, where it feels like every goal has a trail of bread crumbs behind it.
At this point, you could make the argument he’s somehow underrated as one of the league’s premier players. Maybe it’s the finicky sports market of New York, where consistent production is wiped from memory at the first inkling of a drought. Ask Rick Nash about that dynamic. Or maybe it’s the drop off in production come playoff time, which is certainly fair.
Regardless, Panarin is in elite company when you zoom out. Since 2019-2020, Panarin produces at a 1.29 point/game clip. Only Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Nathan MacKinnon and Nikita Kucherov have better marks in that category in the same time frame. Not for nothing, he’s off to a better start than all four players this season and shows no signs of slowing down at 32-years-old.
Above all else, it’s awesome to see him having fun again. Panarin is undeniably at his best when he’s loose, feeling himself and in his comedic bag. I thought he gave a nice glimpse into where he’s at mentally, after the Rangers 4-1 win in Seattle against the Kraken.
Most players would huff and puff when asked about the lighting issues at Climate Pledge Arena that night, which resulted in a delay and rather inconvenient switching of sides throughout the game. Panarin chose to use the question as an alley-oop to deliver one of his iconic one-liners.
Of course, this is just a comment in passing and maybe not worth reading into. On the other hand, it says everything.
Down the stretch and in last year’s playoffs, beat reporters noted a clear air of frustration about him, where you got the sense his joy for the game had escaped him. This season, it’s no coincidence that his tantalizing play on the ice coincides with the return of his happy-go-lucky attitude off the ice.
Appreciate Greatness While We Have It
The most astute Ranger fan remembers the fact he chose the Blueshirts over the Islanders for a considerable discount in the summer of 2019. The Islanders had more money to offer him at the time and Panarin still turned them down. What an absolute beauty. It feels like that should be announced over the PA system at MSG periodically, as a friendly yet poignant reminder. He endeared himself to the fanbase before he even arrived and then immediately hit the ground running as a point-per-game player.
I’m just going to say it – it’s past time to start appreciating Panarin as the all-time great Ranger that he is. You’d be hard pressed to find many other acquisitions that surpass Bread’s production over the long haul, in the near 100 years this franchise has existed. He has 356 points in only 277 games played so far. Don’t look now, but Adam Graves currently sits at #10 in franchise history with 507 points. It’s only a matter of time before Panarin passes him by and continues to climb up the ranks.
Let’s not forget that iconic overtime game 7 goal at MSG, accompanied by a legendary Sam Rosen call. Chills every time.
Panarin has this invaluable skill of raising the ceiling of players in his orbit, without sacrificing his own production. It’s an element of his game that somehow flies under the radar.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved the guy when we was here, but Panarin made Ryan Strome relevant. Strome’s 5 year/$25 million contract with the Anaheim Ducks has Panarin’s fingerprints all over it. At the very least, I hope Bread was gifted a nice bottle of wine after that pay day.
Think back to the preseason panic surrounding Alexis Lafrenière and his lackluster effort. All of a sudden there’s silence on that front, because Laf is scoring goals and getting a ton of quality chances. Credit to #13, no doubt about it, but to say Panarin has nothing to do with that would be preposterous. This organization would be royally screwed if the S.S. Lafrenière starts taking on water, but luckily Panarin’s rising tide has a way of lifting all boats.
What’s Making Him More Effective This Season?
Some are saying he’s become more aerodynamic, without the locks of lettuce flowing down to his shoulders. Might be an interesting thesis for physics majors to conduct more extensive research on.
To me, it’s all about his uncanny ability to cut to the middle of the ice. The way he’s been able to do it so consistently this year makes him downright lethal.
You always hear about wanting to keep guys to the outside and not allow penetration to the middle. The NHL’s most elite skaters spit on that game plan and dictate pace of play by claiming the middle of the ice anyways. Show me a defender who thinks they can keep the likes of Connor McDavid, Jack Hughes or Artemi Panarin to the perimeter and I’ll show you a liar.
Panarin has always been a phenomenal distributor, but the added emphasis on his shot this year has goaltenders in a tizzy. You sometimes forget how dangerous his wrister is.
And then right when netminders start to zero in on his shot, he’ll resort back to his natural gift of passing the puck. What a gorgeous feed he had to Mika Zibanejad for the game winner in Winnipeg.
And it all comes back to establishing that presence in the high slot area. The world is his oyster when he has both the pass and the shot at his disposal.
Lastly, credit to head coach Peter Laviolette as well, for riding with the hot hand and double shifting Panarin on occasion. The sheer talent is not lost on Laviolette and maybe this coaching change is exactly what was needed to restore the confidence.
Unfinished Business
As I’ve alluded to a few times, the bane of Panarin’s existence has been the spring. For whatever reason, he just hasn’t had the same impact in the playoffs compared to the regular season. Nursing injuries, fatigue, nerves – your guess is as good as mine.
Obviously, in New York, people are going to be up in arms about disappearing when everything is on the line. Especially for a player getting paid over $11 million a year, the restlessness is definitely warranted.
He never came out and said it, but the shaved head is a direct result of bowing out to the Devils in last year’s playoffs. He looked a step behind the play all series and couldn’t get himself going whatsoever. 0 goals and a +/- rating of -2 in a 7 game series against an arch rival just isn’t going to cut it. He knows it, the organization knows it and the fans know it.
The past is the past and in 2023 he’s off to a scorching hot start out of the gate. He’s got pep in his step, jokes for days, life on his shot and eyes on the pucks he’s passing. There’s reason to believe he’s exorcised his demons and something special awaits New York this spring.
This is his revenge tour and we are all witnesses. After all, there’s nothing wrong with believing.
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