It’s more likely for a high-profile free agent athlete to flop in a city like New York than it is to prove worthy of every cent they signed for. Manhattan will chew you up and spit you out if it’s the first case.
The seven-year, $81.5 million contract Artemi Panarin signed with the Rangers on July 1, 2019 was one that could — no, would — be condemned by the fan base if it went even slightly awry.
It’s all but written in the fine print when you choose this market.
And yet, Artemi Panarin never seemed fazed by his demanding audience in Manhattan.
