Shocking news has rocked the hockey world on Monday morning as New York Rangers superstar Artemi Panarin is taking an indefinite leave of absence from the team. The New York Post’s Larry Brooks reports that potentially politically-related allegations of an act of violence against an 18-year-old girl in 2011 have fuelled this decision.
Breaking news: Panarin is taking a leave of absence from NYR in aftermath of political hit piece against him from Russia alleging that he beat up an 18-year-old girl in Russia in 2011.
— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) February 22, 2021
Artemi Panarin Takes Leave of Absence From Rangers
The nature of this situation is extremely volatile. Many sources are reporting that political motivation is the cause of these allegations, including Brooks. Panarin has previously notably spoken out against the Putin government in Russia, demonstrating support for opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Retribution was feared after Panarin’s Instagram post on 1/21 in support of opposition leader Alexi Navalny with caption “Freedom for Navalny.” Panarin, who has family in Russia, has been outspoken against Putin.
— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) February 22, 2021
The New York Post’s Mollie Walker is also reporting that these allegations are stemming from ex-KHL coach Andrei Nazarov. Nazarov has expressed fervent support for the Putin regime in the past.
The allegations are coming from a former head coach of Panarin’s while he was with the KHL’s Vitayaz, Andrei Nazarov, who has repeatedly criticized Panarin for his outspoken position on Russian president Vladimir Putin’s regime.
— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) February 22, 2021
On the ice, this is terrible news for the Rangers. Their .469 points percentage this season is second-worst in the MassMutual East Division. Losing their best player for an undetermined amount of time certainly won’t help them make a playoff push. Panarin has 18 points in 14 games this year. He’s playing over 20 minutes a night for the second straight season. Through six NHL seasons, Panarin has 433 points in 405 NHL games.
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