Superstar left winger Artemi Panarin is entering his fifth season donning a New York Rangers jersey. In his time here, Panarin has been nothing short of excellent in the regular season, logging 100 goals and 241 assists for 341 points in 268 games played. His playoffs, however, have been nothing short of underwhelming.
Panarin shares his frustration over letting the Rangers down in the playoffs
In his four seasons with the Rangers, Panarin has appeared in the playoffs three times (2020 Play-In, 2022, and 2023), but his series against the New Jersey Devils might have been his worst. In seven games against the Devils, Panarin recorded an abysmal 0 goals and two assists, for two points (all coming in Game One).
“I, for sure, did not play well,” he said. “I didn’t get the results and got frustrated too early. After that, it snowballed.”
via Vince Mercogliano of Lohud.com
The eight-year veteran had no problem being the first person to call out his series performance. Even during the series, the winger was visibly frustrated.
This isn’t the first time the superstar has made a disappearing act in the playoffs. In his previous two playoffs, Panarin played in 23 games notching just 18 points (seven goals and 11 assists).
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New season, new Panarin
Two months after the Rangers’ first-round loss to the Devils, Panarin made a bold decision to shave his head in order to rid himself of the bad juju.
Panarin point projection for the 2023-24 season
ESPN is projecting Panarin to score 80 points (23 goals and 57 assists) which would be his lowest point total in an 82-game season with the Rangers.
Panarin only scoring 80 points would most likely leave Ranger fans with a sour taste in their mouth, clamoring for Chris Drury to trade him, especially after last year’s playoff series. The only way for fans to finally be happy, it seems, is seeing him lift the Stanley Cup after a Stanley Cup Finals series win.
Entering this crucial season, I envision a more productive point total out of the Bread Man. I predict Panarin will score 92 points (26 goals and 66 assists), maintaining his status as one of the Blueshirts’ brightest stars.
