The Regular Season Matters: Appreciation For Artemi Panarin

It has been quite the interesting Summer thus far for the New York Rangers star forward Artemi Panarin, but after a disappointing postseason, everyone is hopeful that he will show up for the start of the season with a chip on his shoulder.

Since joining the New York Rangers for the 2019-20 season, there haven't been many players that have produced more offensively in the regular season than Artemi Panarin. In those four years, the "Breadman" as he is known by Rangers fans, has put up 100 goals, adding 241 assists for a total of 341 points in 268 games. It also should be noted that he is often criticized for his defensive play, but in these 268 games, he is at a very impressive +75 for his overall plus-minus rating. 

Panarin is aware that having success in the regular season isn't enough to cut it in the city of New York. After a disappointing playoff performance, he spoke out about what he was going through mentally. 

He was stated saying "In the playoffs, it's like double pressure, double everything, and then you're putting pressure on yourself double."

People might not be happy with the showing from Panarin in the past two playoff runs, but there is something to be said about how his regular season performances get the Rangers to this point in the first place. There are always arguments about how "the regular season doesn't matter", but for this upcoming season, those 82 games are going to set the standard for an organization with a brand new staff that is starving to bring the Stanley Cup back to New York City. 

I keep seeing comments like "Panarin needs to bounce back" or "Panarin can't perform in the playoffs", but I think it is critical for people to not overlook what he has done for this organization in his first four seasons. Of course, at the end of the day, it all comes down to winning, but under a coach like Peter Laviolette, Panarin might be able to find that inner confidence when it matters most again.

I don't think it's fair to call him an X-Factor. In my opinion, the X-Factor for the Rangers this season is going to be a player that can actually take the pressure off of him. This whole time the conversation has been that the Rangers need more from Panarin, when in retrospect, maybe Panarin needs more from those around him. It's easy to look at a star player and expect them to create plays and make things happen on their own, but hockey is not an individual sport, you need a supporting staff. 

Outside of Chris Kreider and Vladimir Tarasenko, the Rangers struggled mightily to find consistent goal-scoring against the New Jersey Devils in round one of the 2023 playoffs. I'm not saying Panarin doesn't deserve any blame, there is criticism for a reason. All I'm saying is that the Rangers needed much more from everyone, not just him. 

This is why the organization brought in a coach like Peter Laviolette. Throughout his career, Panarin has found success under old-school coaches like Laviolette. He tallied eight points in 11 postseason games under Joel Quenneville in Chicago and he also helped lead the Columbus Blue Jackets to one of the biggest upsets in NHL history, adding 18 points in 16 playoff games under John Tortorella.

The pressure on the Rangers this past season was sky-high due to all of the talent on the roster. In my opinion, I think it plays into the teams favor when the expectations aren't as high going into the season. After a strong 2021-22 season, they went into 2022-23 with many people calling them favorites to win the Stanley Cup. That kind of pressure can creep into the room, but heading into this season it appears that most people aren't considering them one of the top teams that could be competing for the Cup. 

The Rangers definitely don't have it easy playing in the very strong Metropolitan division, which is why Panarin is so important to have during the regular season. Everyone is hoping that he will find that next level in the postseason, but what he has been able to accomplish over the last four seasons should not be under appreciated.

I don't think it's up for debate anymore that Panarin is the best free agent signing in Rangers history, now he just needs to solidify that legacy by bringing Lord Stanley back to New York.