I admit it, I was wrong!
When rumors started to swirl in early 2019 about then-Columbus Blue Jacket Artemi Panarin’s desire to ditch small town Midwestern life in Ohio’s state capital and take his immense talents to the Big Apple once he hit the free agent market, I was quite skeptical. Sure, Panarin’s resume was impressive, winning the Calder Trophy for Rookie of the Year in 2016 and averaging a point-per-game during his four year NHL career. But, as a card carrying and often times jaded member of Rangerstown for over 40 years, I’ve been down this route before.