The Columbus Blue Jackets are certainly happy with Artemi Panarin’s point production this season, especially as of late but there’s also a negative that comes along with it.
Artemi Panarin is having a phenomenal season for the Columbus Blue Jackets, but with the pending contract negotiations coming up it’s more than likely going to drive up his price going forward. His value was already at an all-time high with the point per game season last year, however now he’s on pace to hit nearly 100 points with 52 points through 44 games this season.
Panarin’s value was already at a point where he’d likely get one of the richest contracts in Columbus Blue Jackets history and now it’s only higher. Going forward, assuming Sergei Bobrovsky is gone after this season, the Blue Jackets have plenty of cap space to make it work with Panarin but it would be preferred to have him on as cheap of a contract as possible.
The question remains, how much of a difference will this season actually make going forward? It could be minimal, but it could be huge. The most important thing is that Panarin looks like he’s thoroughly enjoying himself on the ice, which is a great thing to keep in mind.
He’s also put up 7 points through the last 4 games, so it’s possible his best to come this season is happening right now, or is yet to come. This season could be a long standing record season for the Blue Jackets, especially if he keeps scoring goals like he has lately.
Hopefully the contract talks that are coming up go well and this season doesn’t factor into the negotiations too much, but either way any good news about Panarin’s contract going forward will be very positive for a majority of the Columbus Blue Jackets fans.