Columbus Blue Jackets Fans: Enjoy Artemi Panarin While You Can
By William Espy
The Columbus Blue Jackets forward is undoubtedly the most skilled player in franchise history.
When the Columbus Blue Jackets acquired star forward Artemi Panarin just a year ago, not many people expected the mass panic it would cause a year later. Even if Panarin is planning on testing free agency, there’s still an entire season of hockey to be played between now and then.
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Artemi Panarin has no obligations to Columbus after July 1st of next year, however as a whole we should enjoy watching him play until then. Panarin set the franchise record for single season assists and points in his first year with the team and it seems like this season could certainly be more of the same for the dynamic Russian.
If the speculation that has been flying around is true and he does in fact get traded, this mindset goes out the window. Until then however, Artemi Panarin is still a Columbus Blue Jacket and deserves as much support as any other player on the team.
As long as he plays to the best of his ability night in and night out, he deserves respect from this fan base as he’s still completing his contractual obligation.
Regardless of Panarin’s plans for after the upcoming season, he’s going to go down as the most talented Columbus Blue Jacket (who played here in his prime) for quite a while. Enjoy the ability to watch his skill every night rather than worry about the future as all that will do is make you suffer the heartbreak twice if he does in fact move on to another team rather than experience the joy of the present.
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The Columbus Blue Jackets are going to be a competitive team this season whether they’re led by number nine or not, but they’ll do a lot better if the fans are behind the team and players completely.