The NY Rangers say allegations star player Artemi Panarin assaulted a woman in 2011 are "unfounded" -- suggesting the claims are all part of a Russian smear campaign to punish the NHL star for publicly criticizing Vladimir Putin.
Here's the deal ... on Monday, Panarin -- who's in the middle of a 7-year, $81 million contract -- announced he's taking a leave of absence from the Rangers for personal reasons.
The announcement comes in the wake of a report out of Russia that Panarin beat the hell out of an 18-year-old woman at a hotel bar in Latvia in 2011.