Rangers star forward makes odd change ahead of facing Red Wings in attempt to win the game
Photo credit: NHL.com
Hockey players do weird things sometimes, and Artemi Panarin has just pulled something odd, as the New York Rangers forward has shaved his head.
We've seen him do this before, in 2023.
During the 2023-24 season, he'd have a career year, scoring 120 points and being a catalyst for offense for the Rangers. However, this season we'd see a significant decline in production.
In 14 games for the Rangers, he scored 7 points (2-5), and in order to break his slump, he did what he knows best to break his disappointing run.
While we're not strangers to the look, the oddness of the ritual does stick out a a bit considering we've known Breadman for a full head of hair, and a flow that escapes his helmet every night.
Last season, he scored 89 points (37-52) in a disappointing last run under Peter Laviolette.
Now under Mike Sullivan, baldness is the law for Panarin.
Artemi Panarin Breaks Down His Thought Process For Shaving His Head
In Tarrytown, New York, where the Rangers' practice facility is, he was interviewed by Dan Martin of the New York Post regarding the decision to shave his head.
«I had to change something,'' the Rangers star said after practice in Tarrytown on Thursday. «The next step is a left stick if this doesn't work.»
In addition to being in a slump, the horrors of a lack of contract extension reverberate throughout his mind, as it is a concern for a player who is in the last year of his deal.
It didn't help that he rejected a team-friendly deal from GM Chris Drury, either.
«For sure,'' Panarin said. «Players always think about their next years. But it's not an excuse.»
For Breadman, he needs to be paid now (signed now more accurately), and could end up being a free agent if the Rangers let him walk in July.
His future with the Rangers is uncertain.
Clearing $11.6 million in cap space would free them to do so much with that money, including signing a top-six forward.
But, for now, Panarin's odd ritual takes the headlines once again.
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