There is no debate whether Artemi Panarin’s addition would make the Rangers a better and more entertaining team this coming season and at least for a handful of years after that. He would. The 27-year-old winger is an elite talent whose complementary game tends to elevate his teammates.
A clever dispatcher every bit as much as a sniper, Panarin and Mika Zibanejad could be expected to crate create some beautiful music together on Broadway and the first line — perhaps with Pavel Buchnevich on the right side — would become a legit threat.
But the discussion is not about the talent.