2023-24 Season Spotlight: Artemi Panarin
The Breadman's new lease on life
If anyone stood to gain from a different voice behind the New York Rangers’ bench, embattled lottery selections Alexis Lafreniere (1st overall in 2020) and Kaapo Kakko (2nd overall in 2019) seemed like the logical picks.
As it turns out, Peter Laviolette’s arrival has most benefited the Blueshirts’ highest-paid player. By his standards, Artemi Panarin had struggled through a couple of pedestrian years, but he appears as driven and deadly as ever in 2023-24. His bounce-back campaign has been particularly valuable in light of injuries to Adam Fox, Igor Shesterkin and Filip Chytil.
Here’s how Panarin has found his second wind.
Dual Threat
At his absolute worst, Panarin becomes a giveaway machine who’s hellbent on threading the needle each time he touches the puck.
New York’s trade-deadline acquisition of former linemate Patrick Kane—with whom he exchanged impossible cross-ice passes in Chicago—merely fed into that bad habit last season, culminating in postseason disaster for both Panarin (2 points in 7 games) and the Rangers (eliminated in Round 1).
Thankfully, that carelessness has by and large vanished. Moreover, Laviolette has instilled in Panarin the importance of offensive balance. This year, the 32-year-old isn’t forgoing good or even great shots in pursuit of the perfect one.
Whether he’s acting as a setup or trigger man, he’s seizing his opportunities:
The 32-year-old remains a dazzling playmaker. However, his vision and touch have long overshadowed lethal marksmanship (14.3 career SH%). Panarin’s flick of the wrist seems innocuous, yet he achieves excellent whip and accuracy from mid-range. Thanks to those mechanics, he doesn’t need to lean into his bids to confound goaltenders.
We’re witnessing plenty of that in 2023-24, as he’s generating chances in quite an even-handed manner. His output may actually skew more toward shooting than passing this year. He figures among the top 10 leaguewide in attempts per 60 minutes (up ~50% from last season):
That would have been unfathomable only a few months ago. Defenders certainly can’t wrap their head around it. Where they could once cheat off Panarin to smother potential pass recipients, they’re now helplessly watching him wire puck after puck on net.
How do you silence a natural-born passer who’s evolved into one of the most prolific shooters in the sport?
Panarin’s offense hasn’t looked this diverse or decisive…ever. His bag of tricks can’t be dismissed as window dressing anymore. From both a decision-making and talent perspective, he could legitimately do anything with the puck.
His phenomenal start isn’t strictly about shot volume, though. Laviolette has a knack for conjuring instant buy-in from his club—and he’s sold Panarin on uptempo hockey. While the Russian winger is still enjoying his share of possession, his time to attack has decreased considerably. He’s playing faster.
Since he no longer insists on hanging on to the biscuit for an eternity, he’s frequently catching opponents off guard:
On this sequence against the Kraken, 2020-23 Panarin would have lurked in a quieter area (e.g. high ice or the half-wall) in hopes of securing control. Instead, he sticks his nose in the kitchen and is rewarded with a greasy chance from the deep slot.
Here’s another example of opponents not accounting for him as an off-puck threat:
Mark Scheifele (WPG 55) doesn’t cover him with any urgency because—aside from the center’s poor defensive game—the book on Panarin suggests he isn’t dangerous until he’s in possession. Players believe they have a grace period when they’re marking him. Quick cut, backhand tip-in. That scouting report might need a refresh.
Beyond boosting his own goal tally, establishing himself as a scorer has cracked open larger passing windows as well. Defenders now have no choice but to pay attention to him when he’s dancing out there.
The benefits to his playmaking are obvious:
With the puck cocked and ready in his hip pocket as he shuffles toward the faceoff dot, Panarin mesmerizes three Oilers. They don’t know what to expect. Brett Kulak (EDM 77), in particular, is so spellbound that he blows his depth on Lafreniere (NYR 13). Clear the royal road for Panarin, and the Rangers will pile up goals in a hurry.
Even world-class defenders like Jonas Brodin (MIN 25) are baffled by Panarin 2.0:
On a 2-on-1 rush, the Wild stalwart would typically hedge and then choke off the pass—especially against a stubborn distributor. But New York’s star forward has announced himself as a dual threat. This puts Brodin in a pickle, and he’s well aware of it. Consequently, he panics, slides over with a crouch block/stick check and Panarin dishes the puck right through his triangle.
Light work.
All told, his well-rounded offense has yielded perhaps the finest hockey of his career. His giveaways are way down, while his production is way up:
As you can see, he isn’t on some insane heater either. His SH% is just a tick over last season’s. The difference is his tack. “That downhill approach, speed through the neutral zone, toward the net, that’s dangerous,” Laviolette told reporters in early November.
Panarin is attacking with more pace and less predictability. He’s commanding the action every time he takes the ice, which is leading to nights when he’s an outright force of nature:
Such virtuoso performances are all the more important to a banged-up Rangers club that needs its best players to be its best players.
Panarin has been that and more through 14 games. He’s tied for second in the NHL in points (24) and sits second in points per game (1.71) on an 11-2-1 team that’s missing its top defenseman and goaltender. He’s willing them to victory.
No more empty calories for the Breadman. He’s offering full value.
Panarin’s transformation into a top-tier dual threat has won back the favor of the Rangers faithful and placed him smack dab in the early Hart Trophy conversation.
If it holds up, it could also represent the key to a stronger playoff push.
You're so good at this. I love reading these breakdowns. I'm a big Panarin ( as a Ranger ) fan, but this goes beyond any discussion I could have had about him. Truly excellent analysis.