New York Rangers star Artemi Panarin is taking leave of the team for personal reasons.
The news comes after a Russian newspaper published the accusations of Panarin’s former KHL coach, Andrei Nazarov, claiming that the wing got into a physical altercation with an 18-year-old girl in Latvia in 2011. Nazarov’s interview said that Panarin ” sent her upstairs with several powerful blows, “Nazarov had previously criticized Panarin’s sincere beliefs about Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Artemi vehemently and unequivocally denies all allegations in this fabricated story,” Rangers said said in a statement Monday. “This is clearly an intimidation tactic used against him to be open to recent political events. Artemi is obviously shaken and worried and will take some time away from the team. These allegations are unfounded.”
Nazarov, who has played 571 games in the NHL, said a criminal case against Panarin had been opened in Latvia, but added that someone had paid “40,000 euros in cash” to stop the case, although not it was clear who paid for this.
Panarin was replaced by Nazarov’s team a month after the alleged attack.
Last month, Panarin showed his support for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in an Instagram post. Through a Rangers spokesman, Panarin declined to comment further on the topic in the days following the post.
Panarin was a finalist in the Hart Trophy as an NHL MVP last season. The 29-year-old has five goals and 13 assists for 18 points in 14 games this season. The Rangers have won two rounds, but are still four points clear of a playoff spot in the Eastern Division.
Panarin usually spends his off-season in Russia and still has family there, including his grandparents. It is rare to see Russian athletes speak out against Putin or the Russian government, but Panarin has been consistent in his position.
In a Russian-language interview in 2019, Panarin said he was frustrated to see economic development blocked and limited to the Moscow elite.
“I may look like a foreign agent right now, but it’s not,” Panarin said in a 2019 interview. “I think people who solve problems look more like foreign agents than people who talk about them. I think about problems, I come from a positive place, I want to change something so that people can live better. I don’t want to see retirees begging. “