Could Artemi Panarin draw back in for the Rangers on Saturday?

Per a report late Friday afternoon, the New York Rangers are likely to have Artemi Panarin back on the ice for Saturday's matinee against the Boston Bruins, which is phenomenal timing for the Rangers, who are on a current 3-game losing skid.

Panarin had taken a leave of absence from the club on February 22nd, missing nine games to deal with a personal matter relating to allegations of an assault occurring back in 2011. The allegations are believed to have a political motivation, and have been refuted by a staggeringly large number of people who were present on the night that the allegations stem from.

The Rangers, and linemate Ryan Strome in particular, are undoubtedly thrilled to have Panarin drawing back into the lineup.

"Just his infectious energy, I think [it gives] a little bit of a jolt to the group,» Strome said on Friday. «The curls flowing out there and he's just high stepping on the ice and looks like he hasn't missed a beat. Obviously, we're going to see how it goes, if he plays I think you never know what to expect when a guy's been off for a while like that. It's a tough league, the NHL, when you do have some time off like that to get the game pace up. If anyone can do it, I think it's him.

«Hopefully we get him out there and make some plays and hopefully he can provide a spark for our group. Even just having him out there in practice, you see him smiling, you see all the other guys smiling. It feels like we have the band back together and it's good to have him out there.»

Rangers head coach David Quinn is hoping that with Panarin's return will come an overall team morale boost, as the Russian winger is very well-liked on the bench and in the locker room.

"Any time you have somebody like him to your team, five on five, or power play, you're going to be in a better position,» Quinn said. «Not only is he going to improve it, but I think he's going to improve everybody's mentality and just feel better about it. Everyone's going to play with a little bit more confidence.»

Prior to the leave of absence, Panarin had been enjoying a stellar start to the 2020-21 campaign with 15 points through 13 games this season. He hopes to pick up right where he left off on Saturday.

NYPost.com

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