Artemi Panarin

Lore & Background

Panarin arrived in North America in 2015 as a raw, high-ceiling Russian talent out of the KHL, drafted by Columbus and immediately dealt to New York. His rookie season with the Rangers was a revelation: a 24-year-old lighting up the league with 20 goals and 47 points, earning the Calder Trophy and establishing himself as a top-five center. For the next several seasons he became the face of a Rangers rebuild, known for his blistering skating, quick hands, and a willingness to play a full two-way game that belied his offensive flair.

In the 2021–22 season he was dealt to Chicago, where he continued to produce at a high level. His 2023–24 campaign with the Blackhawks saw him post another 40-point season, cementing his reputation as a durable, high-output center well into his late twenties. After that season he entered the free-agent pool, and Kraken fans, like fans of every other team, watched closely to see where he would land. He did not land in Seattle.

For the Kraken fan community, Panarin occupies a particular niche: the player you root against in a tight Eastern Conference matchup, the name that pops up in 'what-if' trade threads, and the benchmark for what a Russian center can do at the NHL level. He is part of the league's texture, and therefore part of the texture of every Kraken season, even one in which he never laced up a Kraken skate.

In Their Own Story

The arena hums with the particular electricity of a March matchup. You're in the third row, a Kraken scarf pulled tight, watching the Rangers' center deke two defenders with a quick shoulder fake and bury a wrist shot top-shelf. The crowd around you groans. You exhale, press your palms against your eyes, and mutter the same line you've muttered every time that number 9 has scored on you this season: 'Not again, Artemi.' The puck bounces off the glass. The next faceoff is in forty seconds. You pull your scarf back up, stare at the ice, and wait for the Kraken to get the puck out of the zone. You always do. You always do.

Reader's Guide

Artemi Panarin has never played a regular-season or playoff game for the Seattle Kraken. His NHL career spans the New York Rangers (2015–2022) and the Chicago Blackhawks (2022–2024). He was selected 12th overall by Columbus in the 2015 NHL Draft and traded to New York before the season began, where he won the Calder Memorial Trophy as Rookie of the Year.

His playing style—explosive first step, two-way commitment, and a knack for generating high-danger chances—made him a perennial All-Star-caliber center. In his final season with Chicago (2023–24) he recorded 40 points, maintaining his production into his late twenties.

For Kraken culture, Panarin's significance is indirect: he is the rival you face in inter-conference play, the free-agent name that sparks forum debates each July, and the reference point when evaluating Russian-born centers on the open market. He shaped the talent landscape the Kraken draft and build within, even if he never wore the black-and-gold.

Did You Know?

• Panarin was drafted 12th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2015 but was traded to the New York Rangers before the season ever started; he never played a game in Columbus.
• He won the Calder Memorial Trophy (Rookie of the Year) in 2015–16, becoming one of the few Russian-born players to take the award in the modern era.
• Despite his offensive reputation, Panarin was consistently a plus-minus positive or above-average two-way player, often drawing top-pairing assignments and playing heavy minutes in all zones.
• He was never a Seattle Kraken player; any Kraken roster list, stat line, or jersey number attached to his name on unofficial sites is fabricated.