GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Artemi Panarin has been everything the Rangers hoped for — and everything fans of the Columbus Blue Jackets wish they still had.
That’s why Panarin’s return to Columbus on Thursday night after spurning the Blue Jackets to sign a seven-year, $81.5 million contract with the Rangers last offseason is a big deal in Ohio’s capital city.
And it’s a big deal for Panarin, too.
“Pretty excited . . . of course it’s not a regular game for me,” Panarin said in English after practice on Wednesday. “A different game. Try to show the best I can.