Prospect Info: Artemi Panarin

[Stealth JD]

23 year old left wing, currently playing for SKA of KHL. Has decided to come to the NHL next year. Some have called him a Pat Kane-type. He's currently a UFA as he was not drafted. He wants a top-6 opportunity immediately.

Here's the thing - he's good buds with Tarasenko. And I suspect that the Blues may have an opening or two on their top-6 next year if the Wild prevail in this series. Do you think the Blues would take a chance? The Swedish guy (Joakim Lindstrom) didnt work out...but at least the Blues showed they were willing to gamble. This could be a huge signing to instantly replenish some organizational depth, if they do indeed move out a few core players in the offseason.

Thoughts?

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[Captain Creampuff]

Wouldn't mind giving him a contract

Schwartz-Stastny-Jaskin
Panarin-Lehtera-Tarasenko
Fabbri-Steen-Rattie/Pajaarvi/Trade
Porter-Ott-Reaves

I don't know much about Panarin, is he fast? One thing I would love in our top 6 is a guy with skill and wheels.

 

[Stealth JD]

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=101602429&postcount=10

This from one of the Russian posters in the Trade Forums thread:

Well, he's 5'11'', 170. Pretty physical despite his size, good forecheker, good playmaker, and can score as well. The strongest qualities though are his scating and hands. Some people call him Patrick Kane of the KHL. I'd personally compare him to Kucherov, but he's a bit older and more mature.

He's the kid in the blue shirt:

 

[BadgersandBlues]

I think anyone who can produce offense that we can sign for nothing but $$$ is worth pursing. As long as he plays adequate D, he'll be fine. Wingers in the NHL basically just need to stand at the point in the D-zone, and skate hard on a backcheck, neither of which are hard to do at all if you care even a little.

 

[EastonBlues22]

It would be nice to bring him in, especially if Oshie is traded since we would have a real dearth of RH shots in our top 9 (a problem for our PP). I think he would work well on a line with Lehtera and Tarasenko. That line would need to be sheltered, though.

One potential problem is that he would be another smaller pass-first forward in a top 9 that's trending pretty heavily in that direction. I think losing Berglund and Oshie both and replacing them with Panarin and Fabbri would also hurt our defense more than people realize. Losing Backes as well would pretty much be out of the question for me at that point.

Steen-Backes-Jaskin
Schwartz-Stastny-Fabbri
Panarin-Lehtera-Tarasenko

That would be an interesting top 9. Could be really good, or it could be a disaster next playoffs.

 

[Celtic Note]

We can have a team full of small forwards, especially if we add Rattie or Fabbri!

 

[Captain Creampuff]

Seems to be working out fine for Minnesota. Their small guys are handling our "big guys" *****.

 

[BadgersandBlues]

Personally, I'd switch Fabbri and Jaskin.

Jaskin simply looks like a different player with Stastny. I'd also like to give Schwartz someone to do the dirty work for him for once, he had to do quite a bit of it on the STL line and I think that it diminished his effectiveness. Obviously, he's still really effective as the gopher, but man I remember a game where he had 2-3 shifts with Reaves and Ott and he looked -shocked- that he had as much time and space as he did with those guys clearing the road for him.....made a number of good plays and actually got out of a little mini-slump he had been in and went on a tear for a bit. Might be nice to see what he can do with a physical force that actually has offensive ability. Not to mention that Schwartz seems to have chemistry with Stastny, whereas Tarasenko doesn't.

I think Fabbri could be Oshie with more speed. He's pretty fearless from everything I've read, and he's projecting to be a Schwartz-like puckhound. Plus his primary asset is his vision and IQ, something that defines Oshie as well. So basically we're replacing Oshie with a cheaper, younger, potentially better version of Oshie in Fabbri. Sounds like he's the guy we should put with Steen and Backes.

I'm not too worried about Panarin, Lehtera, and Tarasenko being a liability defensively. I think Tarasenko backchecks hard and stands by his man at the point, which is pretty much what you're supposed to do as a Winger on D. Lehtera is actually -really- defensively responsible, so as long as Panarin isn't a total bum that line should be fine. Plus, we should have two of the more defensively responsible top lines in the NHL in the Steen/Backes/Fabbri and Schwartz/Stastny/Jaskin lines anyway.

 

[Kshahdoo]

Panarin plays almost the same type of the game as Schwartz. Perhaps a little bit less energetic and a little bit more creative.

 

[EastonBlues22]

Seems to be working out fine for Minnesota. Their small guys are handling our "big guys" *****.

Granlund is the only small guy on Minnesota that's done anything noteworthy against the Blues, and he hasn't exactly been a force with his ENG and 3 secondary assists.

 

[Captain Creampuff]

Begenheim, Cooke, Fontaine, Granlund, Haula, Parise, Schroeder, Zucker, and Spurgeon are all under 6 foot. Pominville and Dumba are only 6 foot and let's not act like Vanek, Stewart, and Koivu are physical guys. The only players with size on their team that play with grit are Coyle, Brodziak, Nino, Suter, and Scandella. Coyle is the biggest player on their team at 6'3 220.

 

[Vladdy the Impaler]

It would be nice to bring him in, especially if Oshie is traded since we would have a real dearth of RH shots in our top 9 (a problem for our PP). I think he would work well on a line with Lehtera and Tarasenko. That line would need to be sheltered, though.

One potential problem is that he would be another smaller pass-first forward in a top 9 that's trending pretty heavily in that direction. I think losing Berglund and Oshie both and replacing them with Panarin and Fabbri would also hurt our defense more than people realize. Losing Backes as well would pretty much be out of the question for me at that point.

Steen-Backes-Jaskin
Schwartz-Stastny-Fabbri
Panarin-Lehtera-Tarasenko

That would be an interesting top 9. Could be really good, or it could be a disaster next playoffs.

Couldn't be any worse than what we've seen the past 4 years. This team needs a big shakeup

Plus, how far have these "big physical defensive specialists" we're talking about really gotten us? Minnesota appears to be doing just fine with the small forwards that they have

 

[EastonBlues22]

Couldn't be any worse than what we've seen the past 4 years. This team needs a big shakeup

Plus, how far have these "big physical defensive specialists" we're talking about really gotten us? Minnesota appears to be doing just fine with the small forwards that they have

The fact that Minnesota is up one game in the series doesn't mean that their small guys are outplaying our big guys, or even that their small guys have much of anything to do with it.

Backes hasn't been scored against at ES (not sure about the PK), so he's obviously had an impact this series. Berglund has as well. Those are the two notable "big defensive forwards" the Blues have, and they obviously aren't the reason why the Wild are up a game.

Begenheim, Cooke, Fontaine, Granlund, Haula, Parise, Schroeder, Zucker, and Spurgeon are all under 6 foot. Pominville and Dumba are only 6 foot and let's not act like Vanek, Stewart, and Koivu are physical guys. The only players with size on their team that play with grit are Coyle, Brodziak, Nino, Suter, and Scandella. Coyle is the biggest player on their team at 6'3 220.

Parise at 5'11'' and about 200 lbs is not "small." The average NHL forward is a shade over 6' and about 202 lbs. He's right about average, or close enough that it doesn't make any difference. Zucker has one point. Bergenheim, Cooke, Fontaine, Schroeder, and Haula have been complete non-factors in this series. Saying that the Wild's small guys are handing the Blues big guys their "*****" is a gross misrepresentation of what's happened this series, at best.

Don't go shifting the goalposts by saying that their bigger guys aren't physical. The original discussion was about size, and size =/= physicality.

 

[DatDude44]

Wouldn't mind giving him a contract

Schwartz-Stastny-Jaskin
Panarin-Lehtera-Tarasenko
Fabbri-Steen-Rattie/Pajaarvi/Trade
Porter-Ott-Reaves

I don't know much about Panarin, is he fast? One thing I would love in our top 6 is a guy with skill and wheels.

I'm gonna need an explanation......atleast have Backes at center there bro..... that's a very soft lineup....especially if Panarin is Patrick Kane esque and i know how rattie/PRV are....... Steen is much better as a winger than center too.....

 

[PiggySmalls]

I think he would be a real good pickup. Putting him on a line with Lehtera & Tarasenko could have great success. A 2 year ELC will end with him still being below 27 and give the blues more bargaining tools. Not going to be an easy target though, plenty of teams looking into him. I think Tarasenko helps but obviously he isn't the only young Russian player out there.

On a side note, I notice alot of people already putting Fabbri on the wing. Anyone know if he is playing center in Chicago? I know with Barbashev

 

[Vladys Gumption]

I think he would be a real good pickup. Putting him on a line with Lehtera & Tarasenko could have great success. A 2 year ELC will end with him still being below 27 and give the blues more bargaining tools. Not going to be an easy target though, plenty of teams looking into him. I think Tarasenko helps but obviously he isn't the only young Russian player out there.

On a side note, I notice alot of people already putting Fabbri on the wing. Anyone know if he is playing center in Chicago? I know with Barbashev

The Blues had Guelph move him to the wing to prepare him for his role with the Blues. They've made it pretty clear he's going to be a winger to start. He may eventually move to center, but he'll start on the wing. It tends to make the adjustment to the NHL easier.

 

[PiggySmalls]

The Blues had Guelph move him to the wing to prepare him for his role with the Blues. They've made it pretty clear he's going to be a winger to start. He may eventually move to center, but he'll start on the wing. It tends to make the adjustment to the NHL easier.

Thanks. Center pipeline is pretty clogged up, so I'm glad to see them moving him to the wing and he is still having as much success.