The New York Rangers are off to a foggy start this season.
They’re coming off a 3-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday. Before that game, the Rangers built a tiny bit of momentum with three straight wins. A 2-0 shutout against the Canucks, a 4-3 comeback victory over the Oilers, and a 3-2 OT win against the Seattle Kraken.
Despite those flashes, New York sits second-last in the Metropolitan Division with a 6-6-2 record. In those early struggles, much of the talk has centered on Artemi Panarin and his murky future with the franchise.
What’s Up With Artemi Panarin This Season?
Panarin is in the final stretch of his seven-year, $81.5 million contract. He is yet to agree on an extension with the Rangers. Meanwhile, his uncertain future has fueled trade rumors as negotiations appear to have stalled.
On the Morning Cuppa Hockey podcast, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman shared his thoughts on Panarin’s situation and the Rangers’ performance. He noted that while the team showed fight in recent comeback wins, at the moment, something seems off, mentally.
Friedman suggested, “I think if you’re having a bad day, mentally, or a bad fit, mentally, do something. Change your schedule. Change your routine. Do something to get yourself out of that.”
Panarin has struggled to make an impact lately, going pointless in his last six games and sitting at just seven points through 14 contests. Friedman said, “It’s hard not to look at him and say he is affected by the fact that he isn’t signed next year… I just watch him, he’s not having an impact on the games that he normally does.”
While he’s not questioning Panarin’s effort, Friedman pointed out that the winger doesn’t seem to have his usual presence on the ice, the kind that drives the team’s offense.
“Long parts of the game, we don’t notice him. That’s what’s surprising to me. And the offense goes with him, it really does.” Friedman noted.
He added that every team has a player whose performance directly affects the group’s scoring rhythm; for the Rangers, that’s Panarin. When he’s not producing, the whole offense seems to stall. “I don’t know why it’s happening. Maybe it’s the contract, maybe he is worried about his future, but he is not himself right now. It is taking the whole offense down,” Friedman said.
Whether Artemi Panarin can rediscover his form or perhaps find clarity through a new contract could go a long way in determining how the Rangers’ season unfolds.
