Artemi Panarin is back at Rangers practice following his injury.

Artemi Panarin Returns to Rangers Practice

Artemi Panarin was back on the ice with the Rangers on Friday after dealing with a lower body injury last week.

The talented Russian forward, who had been skating on his own in recent days, donned a red contact jersey during practice. He skated in a line with Vincent Trocheck and Alexis La Frenziel.

Despite wearing the red jersey, the Rangers confirmed Panarin has been cleared for contact both ways.

“In an ideal situation, I’d like to see him in one or two games,” said coach Mike Sullivan after practice at the MSG Training Center. “But a lot will depend on his condition. We’ll certainly prioritize caution.”

The team had previously held Panarin out of practice and the first three exhibition games as a precaution.

It remains uncertain when Panarin, the Rangers’ leading point scorer since joining as a free agent in the 2019-20 season, will make his preseason appearance.

Sullivan mentioned he prefers that his core players participate in at least three exhibition games. However, with just three left, it sounds like Panarin will play only when he feels fully comfortable.

Meanwhile, Justin Dowling, who is also dealing with lower body issues, only skated with coaches early on Friday.

As for the defense, aside from Vladislav Gavrikov and Adam Fox, it primarily features Will Borgen, Braden Schneider, Urho Vaakanainen, Carson Soucy, and Scott Morrow as the camp opens. When asked if he leans toward familiar pairings, like Borgen and Soucy from their Seattle days or Schneider and Vaakanainen from last year, Sullivan seemed to be weighing his options.

“I’m not saying there aren’t challenges,” Sullivan remarked. “If there’s chemistry, we aim to capitalize on it. We also have to consider our combinations depending on how we’re structuring the team moving forward.”