OTTAWA — Artemi Panarin came as advertised during the start to his Rangers career in 2019-20, when the Russian wing arrived after inking a lucrative seven-year, $81.5 million contract and put up a then-career-high 95 points in 69 games before COVID-19 derailed the remainder of the season.
After recording 58 points in 42 games in the truncated 2020-21 campaign, Panarin then set a new personal best with 96 points in 75 games the following season.
He also had 92 points in 82 contests last season.
Somehow, someway, the best may be yet to come for Panarin, who has emerged as a Hart Trophy front-runner this season while on pace to post a staggering 124 points.
“Yes and no,” Mika Zibanejad said when asked if this is the best he’s seen Panarin play since his arrival on Broadway. “He keeps — I don’t know how because of the level he’s shown and the type of player he is — surprising us with the way he plays. The first — what was it a 15-game point streak — to start off the season and the way he was playing last game.
“I think it’s just the way he’s creating, the way he’s playing, the way he’s working, that’s something that I think is maybe to another level of what he’s done in the past. But it’s still Arty being Arty.”
Coming off his fifth career hat trick and the Rangers’ first individual three-goal effort at Madison Square Garden since Chris Kreider did it on Jan. 22, 2022, Panarin is operating at a supernova level.
Just when you think he’s hit a plateau, the 32-year-old flashes some wizardry with the puck, makes a game-changing play or makes an opponent look silly for even attempting to contain him.
Panarin’s 15 goals and 20 assists for 35 points on the season were ranked fourth in the NHL entering Tuesday’s slate of games.
The more impressive stat is that Panarin had failed to register a point in just four contests before the Rangers took on the Senators at Canadian Tire Center on Tuesday.
With 12 multipoint performances this season, Panarin was tied with the Bruins’ David Pastrnak and the Avalanche’s Cale Makar for the league lead.
That’s two or more points in more than half of the games the Rangers had played this season.
Since the 2015-16 season, Panarin’s 194 multipoint games rank sixth in the league, while his 19 four-plus point games in that span rank tied for fourth.
Panarin was just four points away from 700 in his career prior to Tuesday’s matchup.
“He’s going to find you if you’re open,” Alexis Lafreniere told The Post of what he’s learned about Panarin since playing with him this season. “I always try to get open for him and make plays, go to the net because guys like him have room on the ice. They can make a lot of plays. For me, just trying to help him and also make plays for him, too.”