The Panarin life cycle, starting middle of his second season here:
A smallish group begins pointing out that despite producing, Panarin isn’t playing with the same daring and intensity and is instead becoming predictable and easier to defend against. The turnovers are piling up and it’s starting to feel like he’s a bit of a liability.
The larger majority can only see 95 points and shouts us down with factoids about how he’s the highest scoring Rangers in X years and the fastest Ranger to Y points in Z years. None of it addresses the fact that he’s a selfish narcissist who only cares about counting his points and pennies and will never be the type of guy to sacrifice his style for substance.
He starts the next season hot and the Panarin defenders come back in force with potential excuses - he was worn down from carrying the team, he was nursing an injury, etc. Bread racks up points in generally meaningless early season games and even the Bread detractors, hopeful that he CAN do it different this year and actually be a positive contributor, admit that he looks good and hope he can keep it up when the games mean something.
Now, we return to the beginning of the cycle:
A smallish, but larger than the previous season, group begins pointing out that despite producing, Panarin isn’t playing with the same daring and intensity he did in his first season and is instead becoming MORE predictable and easier to defend against. The turnovers are piling up and it’s starting to feel like it’s a bit tougher to deny that he’s very often a liability.
This time it carries into the playoffs where Panarin essentially shits himself at center ice nightly.
None the less, a majority of posters are still blinded by 95 points and continue to shout us down with factoids about how he’s the highest scoring Rangers in X years and the fastest Ranger to Y points in Z years. Still, none of it addresses the fact that he’s a selfish narcissist, nor the fact that more is expected of of a guy with the second highest cap hit in the world.
The following season begins and Bread gets his point totals looking nice and juicy and the Pana-fans start high fiving while the group that’s growing increasingly tired of his act caution that it doesn’t mean anything until the playoff this time.
The playoffs come around and, even when catered to with his choice of linemates and choice of teammates, he commences to be invisible unless shitting himself at center ice again.
I’m just waiting for the numbers to shift from the majority being in the “but 100 points!!!!!” camp to the “this guy is a loser with a selfish loser mentality” camp. I think we’re getting there.