LAS VEGAS — Legions of fans around the NHL — particularly north of the border — don’t believe Artemi Panarin should be eligible for the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie, because he played five full seasons in the KHL and is 24 years old.
Panarin just shrugged.
“I think it’s fair because the rules are the rules, and [I] didn’t write the rules,” Panarin said Tuesday through an interpreter, after spending 24 hours traveling to Las Vegas from Russia.
Panarin, Edmonton phenom Connor McDavid, and Philadelphia’s Shayne Gostisbehere are the finalists for the Calder, the three top players from a remarkable rookie class. The argument for McDavid is that the No. 1 overall pick averaged more than a point per game. The argument against him is that he missed nearly half the season with a broken clavicle.
Patrick Kane, who won the Calder in 2008, said Panarin would have his vote, of course.
“To play an 82-game season, especially as a first-year player, is probably something that a lot of people don’t realize how tough it is,” Kane said. “It would have been interesting to see what happened, if [McDavid] had a full season under his belt. But obviously with Panarin performing the way he did for 80 games — 77 points. You can even look at it and say that he had a huge impact on my game, too, you know? … I see it first-hand how good of a player he really is.”
A more pressing issue for Panarin is his contract situation. With one year left on his deal, he’s eligible to sign an extension July 1. It’ll be another hefty salary on the Hawks’ books.
“It’s a good team, it’s a good city,” Panarin said. “It’s a good management team. So if everything works out, it will be great.”
Vegas, baby
The NHL Board of Governors on Wednesday is expected to make official the league’s expansion to Las Vegas for the 2017-18 season. Kane joked that the new team will “probably have a pretty good home record,” as Jonathan Toews did when expansion talk first started two years ago. But nobody is too concerned about visiting players feeling the effects of the Las Vegas nightlife on game days.
“I don’t think so,” Dallas’ Jamie Benn said. “We’re all adults, we’re all professionals. If we’re coming into this city obviously it’s an exciting city to come into, but we’re coming in here to do a job.”
Said Islanders captain John Tavares: “Obviously, there can be a lot of distractions coming here. Teams are going to find the best way to handle those things and stay focused on playing the game. Speaking for myself, when you go play, you take it very seriously. You want to be as best prepared as you can be, so you want to take care of yourself. There’s time to be with your teammates and enjoy the camaraderie that comes with that. No question, as players you want to be smart with the situations you’re in, and obviously that emphasis is probably [stronger] in a place like Las Vegas.”
Schedule released
The Hawks will open next season against the team that ended this one, as they host the St. Louis Blues in the season-opener on Oct. 12.
The NHL released the full schedule on Tuesday, and thanks to a late start due to the World Cup of Hockey, and the newly instituted “bye week” for each team — the latter a concession made to players for the 3-on-3 format of the All-Star game. The Hawks will have a well-timed break, getting Feb. 12-17 off after their six-game ice-show trip. The circus trip is a seven-game jaunt through Winnipeg, Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton, San Jose, Anaheim and Los Angeles.
There are 13 sets of back-to-back games for the Hawks.
The full schedule is here.
Email: mlazerus@suntimes.com
Twitter: @marklazerus
