Tensions are running high with the New York Rangers' struggles this season, and superstar forward Artemi Panarin isn't exempt from criticism from his head coach, Mike Sullivan. Panarin is one of the top offensive players in the league at his best, but he sometimes forgets about the defensive side of the game. It's fine when the team is winning, but when they're losing, the coaching staff will notice, via Peter Baugh.
“We don't expect [Panarin] to be the best defensive player out there, but everyone is required to play defense,” Sullivan ranted after the Rangers' loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night. “He's a talented player, but I think he's also capable of defending when he's committed.”
Panarin leads the team in points with 19 in 22 games. While it's an acceptable number, if he stays on his current pace, it'd be the first time he didn't average a point per game since the 2016-17 season. Panarin can be a difference-maker, and with this being the last year of his deal, he'd be an outstanding trade deadline add if the Rangers stay out of playoff contention. It'd take some cap gymnastics for a team to fit in his $11.6 million cap hit, but it's doable with salary retention.
It could be a fresh start that Panarin is looking for. Mike Sullivan is known for expecting a lot from his players on defense, sometimes at the expense of their offensive statistics. The victim of this when Sullivan was with the Pittsburgh Penguins was the offensive-minded defenseman, Erik Karlsson, and a similar thing could be happening with Artemi Panarin.
