New York Rangers star Artemi Panarin is taking a leave of absence from the team for personal reasons.
The news comes after a Russian newspaper published allegations from Panarin’s former KHL coach, Andrei Nazarov, claiming that the winger was in a physical disagreement with an 18-year-old woman in Latvia in 2011 in Latvia. In Nazarov’s interview, Panarin said “several powerful blows,” according to a translation to ESPN. Nazarov has previously criticized Panarin’s outspoken beliefs against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Artemi vehemently and unequivocally denies any allegations in this made-up story,” the Rangers said in a statement MondayThis is clearly a intimidation tactic being used against him for being forthright about recent political events. Artemi is clearly shocked and concerned and will take some time away from the team. The Rangers fully support Artemi and will work with him to identify the source of these baseless allegations. “
Nazarov, who played 571 games in the NHL, said a criminal case against Panarin was opened in Latvia, but added that someone paid “an amount of 40,000 euros in cash” to stop the case, although it was unclear who paid it. .
Panarin was traded 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 Ranger spokesman, Panarin declined to comment on the topic in the days following the report.
Panarin, 29, was a finalist for the Hart Trophy last season as an NHL MVP. He has five goals and 13 assists for 18 points in 14 games this season. The Rangers have won two consecutive games, but are still four points from a playoff position in the East Division.
Panarin usually spends his off-season in Russia and still has family there, including his grandparents. It’s rare for prominent Russian athletes to speak out against Putin or the Russian government, but Panarin has remained consistent in his position.
In a Russian-language interview in 2019, Panarin said he is frustrated that economic development is stalling and confined to Moscow’s elite.
“I may look like a foreign agent now, but it’s not like that,” Panarin said in the 2019 interview. “I think the people who are hiding the issues are more like foreign agents than those who talk about it. I think about problems, I come from a positive place, I want to change something, to make people live better. I don’t want retirees to beg. “