The New York Rangers got some welcome news on Wednesday. Artemi Panarin stepped on the ice for the first time in a couple of weeks after taking time off for personal reasons. Like many around the country, Panarin’s presence should provide a big lift for a team on the outside looking in for a playoff spot.
Panarin left the team on February 22 due to a claim made by a former coach in Russia that he had physically assaulted an 18-year-old woman 10 years ago. The Rangers, in a statement that day, “vehemently and unequivocally” denied the allegations, called the story “fabricated” and an “intimidation tactic” for Panarin’s social media outspokenness in opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin.