Artemi Panarin is entering a pivotal contract year with the Rangers, and the team’s longtime scoring leader hopes to see his first game action of the preseason Thursday night against the Devils to help him get ready for the start of his seventh year in New York.
Panarin missed a few days of practice last week with a lower body injury before returning to the ice on Friday, and he’s since been upgraded in recent days from a red noncontact jersey to a full participant in practice.
“I think it’s very important to have a couple of [preseason] games at least, just for timing,” Panarin said after Wednesday’s nearly 90-minute session in Tarrytown. “It’s more about timing, it’s not so much about conditioning, it’s just to feel how fast people are moving around you, how the puck’s moving, just kind of to remind yourself of some things, and then the season starts.”
The 33-year-old Panarin can become an unrestricted free agent next summer when the seven-year contract he signed as a free agent in 2019 — worth $81.5 million, for an AAV of $11.64 million — expires.
The left winger has led the Rangers in scoring in each of his first six seasons with the team, totaling 186 goals and 550 points over 430 regular-season games.
Still, his numbers have dipped in postseason play — 12-23-35 in 46 appearances — and the Rangers missed the playoffs altogether last season, leading to the firing of head coach Peter Laviolette.
He was replaced by longtime Penguins coach Mike Sullivan, who didn’t divulge his lineup plans for Thursday night at the Garden beyond captain J.T. Miller being out with a lower body injury.
“[Panarin] looks good. He looks strong,” Sullivan said after practice. “Obviously, he’s an incredible player. The things he does with the puck, he’s a unique player in that regard. You see what he does on the power play, for example, when we worked on our power play in practice today.
“But I think he looks strong, healthy, fit, all of the above. I don’t know whether we’re going to put him in the lineup [Thursday] or not. … But we really like the way he’s trending. I think the last couple of days have been quality practice for him.”
Panarin skated mostly Wednesday alongside Vincent Trocheck and Will Cuylle, with regular linemate Alexis Lafrenière aligned for a second straight day with Mika Zibanejad and Gabe Perreault in Miller’s absence.
The Rangers will conclude their preseason slate Saturday afternoon in Boston before opening the 82-game regular season Tuesday at home against the Penguins.
“Like I said before, we have a pretty good group of guys, and then obviously the coaches have had success in the NHL already,” said Panarin, who finished with 37 goals and 52 assists in 80 games last season. “I know they have good experience in the playoffs … so I think only good things for our team this year.”
One of those good things, according to Panarin, would be to dress for either or both of the remaining preseason contests, but Sullivan believes it’s not imperative.
“I just think for anybody, in a perfect world, you’d like to have everybody get at least a game. Preferably two would be even better in a perfect world,” Sullivan said. “But as we all know, the world’s not perfect, and so I’m sure, regardless of whether or not he gets one or he doesn’t get one, he’s going to be fine.
“He’s a talented player, and he’ll adjust on the fly. But ideally, we’d like to get him in some action before we start playing meaningful hockey.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
