Artemi Panarin Disrespected in the Hart Trophy Conversation
If you told Rangers fans at the start of the season that Adam Fox would miss ten games, Jacob Trouba would miss ten plus games, Igor Shesterkin would get injured then struggle for two months, Mika Zibanejad would struggle mightily, Kaapo Kakko would miss 20 games, and that Filip Chytil would miss nearly the entire season they'd guess that the Rangers missed the playoffs.
Instead, the New York Rangers became the first team to clinch a playoff berth, reaching the 100 point mark with ten games left to play mostly thanks to the play of Artemi Panarin. It was fitting that on the night the Rangers collected their 100th point of the year so did Artemi Panarin, who essentially got the team here.
On the season Panarin has 102 points with 43 goals and 59 assists with ten games left in the year. Panarin ranks fourth in the league in points, sixth in assists, and sixth in goals. The three names seemingly ahead of Panarin in the MVP race are Nikita Kucherov, Nathan MacKinnon, and Connor McDavid.
The difference between Panarin and the other three is that if you take away Kucherov you still have a top 15 scorer in Brayden Point, you take away McDavid and Leon Draisaitl is eighth in points to carry the load, and if you take away MacKinnon and the team still has Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen who are both in the top 20 in points. The next closest Ranger to Panarin is Vincent Trocheck who ranks 26th in the league.
When it comes to scoring goals in five-on -ive play, the Panarin line is tied for first in the NHL with 44 goals.
The award will likely go to the player that ends up with the most points even though there's already an award for that in the Art Ross trophy, while the Hart is meant for the Most Valuable Player. No one has been more valuable to their team than Artemi Panarin has been this season. If you took Panarin off this team with the injury circumstances everywhere else in the roster they're a Wild Card team at best instead they lead the league in points with ten games remaining.
Panarin is Truly the "Most Valuable"
If the Award was most talented, or highest scoring, or any other title then you can come to grips with Panarin not being in the conversation. However, this is the Most Valuable Player and you can argue without Kucherov, McDavid, or MacKinnon their teams would still make the playoffs this season. The Rangers however, without Panarin would truly be a disaster as the team's injuries piled up all season long. Thanks to Panarin, Alexis Lafreniere and Vincent Trocheck will set career highs in points, which speaks to how much Panarin has lifted this team.
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