TARRYTOWN – Artemi Panarin stood by his locker at the MSG Training Center looking as relaxed as he has all season.
He was shirtless, with one leg propped up inside the stall while he rested his elbows on the raised knee. The only thing he was wearing – besides his hockey pants, thankfully – was a smile that’s rarely left his face since signing a seven-year contract with the Rangers back in 2019.
Despite that cheerful attitude and disarming demeanor, there was an unmistakable air of hesitation. Panarin has put together a dream season, but he’s choosing his words carefully when discussing what comes next.
“I’m trying to be conservative with what I say,” he told lohud.com, part of the USA TODAY Network.
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As good as No. 10 has been for the Rangers – and he’s been excellent, with his career-high 120 points registering as the second-highest single season total in franchise history – he’s keenly aware that the upcoming playoffs will be his ultimate proving ground.
That effort will begin with a first-round series against the Washington Capitals that’s expected to open Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
“I feel good about it, but there’s an important time in front of us,” Panarin said following the last practice of the regular season on Friday. “I kind of have to forget about the regular season. I’m just trying to be ready for the playoffs and the emotions (that come with it).”
It’s no secret that the postseason been an emotional roller coaster in recent years.
One of the Rangers’ most upbeat personalities was beaten down by last year’s bitter first-round exit, telling reporters at breakup day, “I feel empty right now.” That sting was worsened by Panarin going without a point in each of the final six games against the New Jersey Devils, causing the chorus of doubters to reach a fever pitch.
He fattens up on points in the regular season, they said. He can’t get it done in the playoffs, they cried.
Panarin prides himself on ignoring that chatter − he openly avoids smart phones and screen time, and on the rare occasions he does watch something, it’s only Russian shows − but his own desire to perform burns as fiercely as anyone on New York’s roster.
With those high standards comes pressure that can snowball quickly, which is exactly what happened last year around this time. It’s become a subject he prefers to steer clear of, but make no mistake: He knows better than anyone that the Blueshirts will have a hard time ending their 30-year championship drought if he can’t overcome those frustrations.
“I feel pressure for the team,” he said. “I feel it for the Rangers. We have to win the Stanley Cup. That’s not just my personal pressure.”
MVP
From the very start of the 2023-24 season, when a highly motivated Panarin showed up to training camp with a new shaved-head look, he’s been a man on mission.
He opened with a 15-game point streak and ended with another 13-game tirade, racking up gaudy stats at every step along the way. The consistency was remarkable, with at least 13 points recorded in each month (and that low number came with only eight games played in April) and at least one point tallied in 67 of 82 games played.
He’s been, without a doubt, the Rangers’ most valuable player.
“I think those three letters (MVP) describe him very precisely and the way he’s taken control over games,” said last year’s Team MVP, Mika Zibanejad. “He comes up with big-time goals and big-time plays. I think he’s always been one of the best, but he’s really – it’s weird, in a way, to say – but he’s taken another step. It’s awesome to see. I’m happy for him – happy for our team that that he’s been doing that. He’s going to be a big, key player for us going forward here. It’s been impressive to watch.”
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