Photo credit: © Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Artemi Panarin is scoring in the playoffs again, and every touch reopens the New York Rangers wound.
This is not really about one quote. It is about what that quote reveals after New York told a franchise driver he was no longer part of the long plan.
Panarin had 19-38-57 in 52 games with the Rangers, then 9-18-27 in 26 with Los Angeles after the February 4 trade.
Now he has scored the Kings' only two goals through two playoff games, while Colorado leads the series 2-0.
That is why Rangers fans hear frustration in his words. The production never vanished, the trust did.
You can feel the sting in the quote that lit this up online.
"I feel like I was not in the playoffs for a long time, but it was just two years," said Panarin, who scored a six-on-four goal in a 2-1 Kings loss in Game 1. "Little nervous in the first game. To be honest, not a little. A lot."
- Artemi Panarin
- Artemi Panarin
The real miss by New York was strategic. Elite half-wall creators are hard to replace, especially ones who can slow a game down and still break coverage late.
Artemi Panarin exposes the New York Rangers gamble
Rangers fans are right to feel burned, because this is what a retool looks like when the best passer leaves before the next core is ready.
Los Angeles saw a top-six brain for the man advantage and gave him two years at $22 million right away. New York saw age, term, and the need to reset.
Panarin sounds like a player who felt the door close before his game said it should.
The return could still help. Liam Greentree is the headline piece, and the pick can improve if the Kings win a round.
But today, the optics are brutal. Panarin is still built for tense playoff shifts, and the Rangers are home with a top-five pick.
New York made its choice. Every Panarin touch this spring keeps putting that choice back on trial.
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| POLL | ||
AVRIL 22|87 ANSWERS Artemi Panarin keeps reminding the Rangers what they gave up Did the Rangers move on from Artemi Panarin one year too early? | ||
| Yes | 64 | 73.6 % |
| No | 23 | 26.4 % |
| List of polls | ||