If he’s not the cornerstone to a rebuild, then he’s damn close or the New York Rangers have lofty goals in this era.
On Monday, the first day of free agency, the Rangers and Artemi Panarin agreed to a seven-year, $81.5 million contract.
The Rangers have been in rebuild for a season and a half and their efforts over that period of time have been focused on asset building, not just stockpiling, but building on and off the assets.
That allowed them to acquire Jacob Trouba from the Winnipeg Jets for an asset.
They picked up Adam Fox from the Carolina Hurricanes for an asset now one in the future.
The in-house assets may have been the selling point for Panarin as well.
“He’s only 27 years of age, he’s averaged [80 points] over the last four seasons he’s played in the NHL, he’s a healthy body,” Rangers president John Davidson said of the forward. “We know he wants to be here in New York, specifically with the Rangers. It’s a perfect fit.”
Panarin reached career high in points this past season with 87 on 28 goals in 79 regular-season games; he kicked in five goals and 11 points in 10 playoff games this season.
“There were very few players we looked at that would be part of what we wanted to do and accomplish,” Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton said. “This is a guy obviously we set out to acquire and thankfully it all worked out.”
The pressure may be placed squarely not on Panarin’s shoulders but on the assets the Rangers hope will make the Broadway scene this season.
Pavel Buchnevich (24 years old) and Vitali Kravtsov, the 19-year-old who was the No. 9 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft will be expected to ramp their games up and impress.
The addition of Kaapo Kakko who was the No. 2 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft now has a bona fide young veteran to lean on and learn in his almost certain first year in the league.
But others will need to meet the expectations of their bosses including Filip Chytil, Lias Andersson and Brett Howden also should develop more effectively with Panarin in Madison Square Garden.
“It’s something we thought about a lot over the last week or so about the effect on the entire group,” Gorton said. “We have some Russian young players coming into pro hockey here and some guys that have been here, so I think it’ll be positive. From what I know and talking to [Davidson] and everybody else about the players, he’s a guy that has an infectious personality, he makes players better and he’s going to help us in a lot of ways with a lot of different players.”
For the first time in a long time, the Rangers and their fans will not be looking for an old veteran, with more miles under him than a 1960 Greyhound bus, to gather up enough enthusiasm to play once in every three or four games.
Panarin comes to New York with youth and drive and will have a supporting cast of future stars. Will he lead the chorus?
“I think he’s excited about that,” Davidson said. “I just think it’s a win-win for him and our hockey club.”
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