Former NHL enforcer Stu Grimson believes Artemi Panarin is the second best winger in the NHL.
Panarin had one of the best seasons in the NHL in 2023-24, finishing fourth in hockey scoring, fifth in goals (49) and fifth in assists (71). The winger’s 120 points were three shy of Jaromir Jagr’s franchise record of 123 points in a season, set in 2005-06.
“A few of my celebrities, you could say. I had Panarin at number two. Nothing against Matthew Tkachuk, but he had a bit of a down year this year and I really thought it was important to honor Panarin for his 120-point season, which was a brilliant year for him.”
Stu Grimson on NHL Network about New York Rangers winger Artemi Panarin
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Panarin is one of seven players to score 100 points in a single season for the New York Rangers, so it was surprising to see him ranked fifth. Many expected him to be ranked higher.
So it was shocking to see Panarin finish fifth in the NHL Network’s annual rankings of the best wingers. Panarin received three first-place votes for the Hart Trophy and was considered MVP for the year. One has to imagine that had he broken or at least tied Jagr’s record of 123 points, he would likely be a finalist.
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After the initial rankings were released, host Jamison Coyle asked NHL Network analyst Stu Grimson about the list he compiled of the top 20 wingers. Grimson still had Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning at number one, but he moved Panarin up to number two based on his season.
You just have to look at his consistency since he came into the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks. All he does in the regular season is score points. And he was finally rewarded with a 100-point season. Something that could have happened during one of the COVID-shortened seasons.
He scored 95 points in 69 games in the 2019-20 season and 58 points in 42 games in the 2021-22 season, spread over 82 games for a total of 113 points. Finally, Panarin broke the 100-point mark – he didn’t just surpass it, he crushed it.
“As you slowly try to get to the line. If you can break the ceiling, slowly creep up to that line. Three 90-point seasons in his career. Two 80-point seasons in his career,” Grimson said on NHL Network. “And if you don’t believe it, then you know that was superhero status. Artemi Panarin, ‘The Breadman,’ as we said, just breaks the ceiling with a 120-point season.”
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Notably, NHL Network had four players on the roster: Kucherov (No. 1), the Panthers’ Matthew Tkachuk (No. 2), the Avalanche’s Mikko Rantanen (No. 3) and the Boston Bruins’ David Pastrnak (No. 4), who was ranked ahead of him at No. 1 last summer.
No offense to those players, but Panarin was a big reason the Rangers won the Presidents’ Trophy and the Metro Division with 114 points. Not to mention how he makes his teammates better by driving a line as a wing player. Not many before him can do that.
“He’s got that unique flair again, his ability on the ice is a big reason I think he can drive the line/team like that,” Grimson said on NHL Network. “But he also has the ability to do high-skilled things while playing at a very high tempo, a unique talent in our game and amazing in that regard, a 120-point season. And would you believe there are four guys ahead of him on that list?”
Next season, Panarin’s consistency is expected to catapult him into the top five; Alexis Lafreniere also appears on the NHL Network list.
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