Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon told TSN radio that he tried hard to recruit Artemi Panarin in free agency last summer, and if MacKinnon had to pick a Hart Trophy winner as NHL most valuable player, it would be the Russian winger who is coming off a fabulous regular season with the New York Rangers.
“We tried hard to get him in free agency. I was bugging him every day,” MacKinnon said of Panarin, who stands fourth in NHL scoring, two points ahead of No. 5 MacKinnon. “I was trying everything to get him … Sometimes it’s hard to compete with the Big Apple.