Did Rangers Make Right Call Skipping Rebuild for Artemi Panarin?

The New York Rangers are at a crossroads, and the fanbase is split on how they got here. With Artemi Panarin likely on his way out and the team struggling to find its identity, it's easy to look back and question whether general manager Chris Drury made the right calls.

Some fans believe the Rangers rushed their rebuild, that signing Panarin and trading for Jacob Trouba derailed a proper ground-up construction that could have led to sustained success. But according to media member Johnny Lazarus, that kind of hindsight criticism misses the point entirely.

The Rangers got two trips to the conference finals with Panarin leading the way, and no matter how this era ends, those years were worth it.

The Criticism Doesn't Hold Up

Lazarus addressed the growing sentiment among Rangers fans that the team made a mistake by accelerating their timeline instead of committing to a patient rebuild. The argument goes that signing Panarin and acquiring Trouba pushed the organization off course before they were truly ready to compete.

“I wouldn’t trade the years of Panarin and the two conference finals trips for the what if — for the what could have happened had #NYR torn it down completely and built it back up.”

- Me

Presented by J.P. Wisers pic.twitter.com/9DNEhnHfjb
— Jonny Lazarus (@JLazzy23) November 25, 2025

"A lot of fans have said, knowing what we know now, the Rangers shouldn't have rushed the rebuild. We shouldn't have signed Panarin and shouldn't have gotten Trouba," Lazarus said. But he pushed back hard on that line of thinking, arguing that there's no guarantee a full teardown would have worked out any better.

"There's no guarantee the Rangers don't end up in this same situation had they torn it up fully and built it from the ground up," he continued.

It's a fair point. Rebuilds don't come with guarantees, and plenty of teams have torn everything down only to find themselves stuck in mediocrity for years. The Rangers at least got to compete at a high level, and that's something.

The Real Problem Is Development

Lazarus pointed to the actual issue that's derailed New York's plans, and it has nothing to do with Panarin or Trouba. The Rangers drafted Alexis Lafreniere first overall in 2020 and Kaapo Kakko second overall in 2019, and neither has developed into the kind of franchise-altering player those picks are supposed to yield.

"Lafreniere and Kakko — say what you want about the Rangers not developing them — they didn't turn into what a number one and number two pick should be. I think that is what has disrupted this whole thing," Lazarus said.

If either of those players had become a legitimate star, the Rangers' entire trajectory would have changed.

They'd have another elite forward to build around, more depth, and the kind of young talent that keeps a competitive window open for years. Instead, both have been solid but unspectacular, leaving New York without the homegrown star power they were counting on.

No Regrets About the Panarin Years

Even knowing how things have played out, Lazarus made it clear he wouldn't change the decision to go for it with Panarin.

"I wouldn't trade the years of Panarin and the two conference finals trips for the what-if, for the what could have happened had the Rangers torn it down completely and built it back up," he said.

That's the bottom line. The Rangers got to compete, they got deep into the playoffs twice, and their fans got to experience meaningful hockey in May and June. A lot of franchises would kill for that, even if it didn't end with a Stanley Cup.

The Rangers' problems aren't because they signed Panarin. They're because the pieces around him didn't develop the way they needed to.

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