The Hart Trophy is awarded to the player considered most valuable to his team as voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association at the end of each season. In 2023-24, there are so many candidates that many deserving names won’t make the top five in voting, especially with Nikita Kucherov from the Tampa Bay Lightning, Nathan MacKinnon from the Colorado Avalanche, and Connor McDavid from the Edmonton Oilers as the unanimous top three for many.
One player who isn’t getting enough attention is Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers. He is having the best season of his career, and because he doesn’t have as many points the as other players mentioned, he has been left out of the conversation. What he has done for the Rangers was truly unthinkable before this season, and he has been the team’s most valuable player.
Panarin Leads His Teammates By 40 Points
Before this season, Panarin’s career high in goals was 32 during the 2019-20 season, and his career high in points was 96 in 2021-22. This season, he has 46 goals and 115 points in 78 games, putting him four goals away from 50 and eight points shy of tying the franchise record for points in a season with 123, tied with Jaromir Jagr.
What he has done this season is truly remarkable when you consider that Mika Zibanejad is having a down season offensively. Panarin has a 40-point lead over the next closest teammate, Vincent Trocheck, who has 75 points. While this is impressive, one reason why this may be overlooked is because, in Tampa, Kucherov has a 51-point lead over his closest teammate, Brayden Point, who has 85 points.
So while he might not end up with as many points as Kucherov or MacKinnon, he still has been the Rangers’ best offensive player this season, and it’s not close. He wasn’t considered an elite goal scorer before this season — that role belonged to Zibanejad, who scored 39 goals last season and a career-high 41 goals in 2019-20.
With Zibanejad’s struggles, Panarin’s success this season is even more noteworthy. After last season ended in disappointment, he decided to change his game and shoot the puck more this season. Because he has a great, underrated shot, he now has more goals in a single season than Zibanejad has had so far with the Rangers.
Getting the Most Out of Trocheck & Lafreniere
When the 2023-24 season started, Panarin was on a line with Filip Chytil and Alexis Lafreniere, and they played well in the ten games they were together. When Chytil went down with a season-ending injury, Trocheck had to step into that second-line center role, and he has been phenomenal this season, tying his career high in points with 75 and assists with 50.
Panarin and Trocheck were on a line together for most of last season under head coach Gerard Gallant; however, it didn’t work as well as it has under Peter Laviolette this season. Whether it was a new coaching system or the players getting more familiar with each other, this line has been one of the best in the league this season.
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This was seen as a make-or-break season for Lafreniere, and if it didn’t go well, he would likely be traded this offseason. After a rough preseason, he has had the best season of his career, and most of that success has come from playing with Panarin. He currently has 27 goals and 56 points in 78 games and could reach the 30-goal, 60-point mark before this season is over.
He is finally showing the potential that was expected of him when he was drafted first overall in 2020. He never saw this amount of time playing with Panarin under Gallant since they were both natural left-wingers. Gallant never gave Lafreniere enough time on the right wing, and if he had, maybe this would have happened a few seasons ago. The Rangers are benefiting from Panarin bringing out the best in his teammates.
Rangers Are the Best Team in the NHL
While other top players in the NHL are having better seasons point-wise than Panarin, they aren’t playing on the best team in the league. The Rangers have a 53-21-4 record and 110 points. They have tied the franchise record for wins in a season and will break that record if they win one of their last four games. They are the only team in the league with 50 wins and have four more wins than the next closest team, the Dallas Stars, who have 49 wins and 107 points.
A big reason the Rangers are at the top of the standings is Panarin. He has had a season that nobody expected him to have, carrying the team’s offense. He is a key player on the fourth-ranked power play in the league, and now that he is shooting the puck more, he has become a more dangerous player, and the Rangers are a better team.
The Rangers are having the best season in franchise history, and it is no surprise that Panarin is having the best season of his career. He will likely finish the season with more points than his team. That is why he deserves more consideration for the Hart Trophy. He is the best player on the best team in the league and is carrying the Rangers’ offense. He might not have as many points as other top players, but he might be better overall and more important to his team’s success. He is the Rangers’ MVP and should be voted as the league MVP when the season is over.
