As the highest-paid Ranger for the foreseeable future, Artemi Panarin is subject to a different kind of scrutiny — especially with a looming cap squeeze that also may squeeze the club’s Stanley Cup window.
The notion that Panarin didn’t do enough during the Rangers’ run to the Eastern Conference Final has hung over the team this offseason. That’s an observation that will always come with the territory for Panarin, but it’s not so black and white.
Let’s talk about it.
Panarin skated in all 20 of the Rangers’ playoff contests before the Lightning knocked them out in six games in the conference final, collecting six goals and 10 assists for a career-high 16 postseason points. Of course, it was the longest playoff run of the 30-year-old’s six seasons in the league, but he did put up more points than ever before.
