Which Artemi Panarin will the New York Rangers get in Round 1?

The New York Rangers’ 2023-24 regular season was one for the ages, with the club winning the Presidents’ Trophy for the first time since 2014-15. With career years from Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere, and fantastic goaltending from both Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick, the Blueshirts looked impressive throughout the season.

But it’s Artemi Panarin, who finished with 49 goals and 71 assists for a career high 120 points, fourth in the entire league, that stole the show. If it weren’t for the all-time productive seasons we saw out of Nikita Kucherov, Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon, there’s a serious case to be made for Panarin taking home the Hart Trophy.

On Thursday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, former NHLer Colby Cohen and Steven Ellis discuss Panarin’s career year, his recent playoff struggles and how important he is to the success of the Rangers’ this postseason.

Colby Cohen: To me, the big question in this series is what are we getting from Artemi Panarin? We’ve seen different versions of him in the playoffs, and even in 2021-22 when he had 16 points, he was very sleepy in the first round.

What do you think about Panarin and the Blueshirts?

Steven Ellis: I feel a lot more confident in Panarin this year, as opposed to last year. This year, they got offensive help up front with Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere. It feels like he’s on the best line he’s ever been on. If you look at his numbers recently: 18 points in his last 10 games, he’s healthy and rested, and he’s playing great hockey right now.

What does concern me is if Panarin doesn’t show up and doesn’t shine, then the Rangers are in trouble. They’re a talented team, but what Panarin’s been able to do this season, he’s got to be the guy that leads this team.

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…