Artemi Panarin motivated, eager for season to start so he can put last spring behind him

GREENBURGH – Artemi Panarin can’t wait for Thursday to get here.

“I’m excited,’’ the Rangers’ star forward said after Tuesday’s practice. “I can’t wait to start. The summer was too long.’’

Panarin may have been the most dejected Ranger at Breakup Day last spring after the Blueshirts’ first-round playoff loss to the Devils. He led the team in scoring during the regular season, but things didn't go his way in the playoffs. He had two assists in the first game, then didn’t record another point as the Rangers blew a 2-0 lead in the series and lost in seven games.

And so, over the summer, Panarin got in the gym and worked harder than usual. He was motivated to get back on the ice, better than ever, and get started on the work of putting last spring behind him. He said he’s not the biggest fan of preseason games, and with all of these practice days between the preseason finale last week and Thursday’s season opener in Buffalo, it’s been an excruciating wait.

“Yeah, that's probably the hardest thing,’’ he said. “I just want to play because last year was not really successful for us. That’s why everyone wants to get back [to work].’’

Based on the line combinations that new coach Peter Laviolette has been using at practice the last few days, it appears as though Panarin will start the season on a line with former Kid Liners Filip Chytil and Alexis Lafrenière, who were his linemates in Tuesday’s practice. Laviolette had said during training camp he’d wanted to see the combination of Panarin and Chytil together. An upper-body injury to Chytil early in camp torpedoed the chance of getting a look at the duo in the preseason, but Laviolette intends to play them together Thursday.

“The way they play the game offensively, Fil, to me, looks really good right now,’’ Laviolette said. “It's just his size and his speed, his ability to make plays – there’s a lot to like about his game. I wish there was an opportunity to see it more in training camp, but … we'll go into Game 1 and take a look at it. I think that they could be a good pair together.’’

Panarin, who had such wonderful chemistry with center Ryan Strome for his first three seasons in New York, is hoping to find something similar with Chytil. Both of them are from Eastern Europe – Panarin from Russia, and Chytil from Czechia – and they may have a similar base in how they think the game. And, Panarin is excited to work with a player as fast as Chytil.

Panarin wasn’t able to describe what kind of traits he needs in the perfect centerman, but admitted he wants he and Chytil “to try and ‘feel’ each other as quickly as possible.’’

Chytil, who was excited when Laviolette put him on Panarin’s line on the first day of camp, said he learned from playing a handful of games with Panarin last season that, “he's got a little more specific style. He loves to be on the left-hand side, and every time he gets the puck, he can create opportunity, create a scoring chance for anybody on the ice.

“So I’ve got to be always ready, every time,’’ Chytil said. “And every time I give him the puck, be ready to get it back and shoot.’’

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.