Oiler missed out on Calder but his status is assured

Artemi Panarin had an interpreter helping him to communicate, but he fully understood the question. It was one that he had heard many times before.

When asked if it felt right to be a finalist for the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie, considering he is 24 years old and had previously played in the KHL, the Russian- born Panarin did not have to take long to think of an answer.

“I think it’s fair, because the rules are the rules and I didn’t write the rules,” Panarin said through an interpreter. “I’m very glad to win ... not necessarily for winning the award but recognizing the journey I had to take.”

Panarin beat out Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid and Philadelphia Flyers defenceman Shayne Gostisbehere for the Calder Trophy. It was a deserving honour for a rookie who finished in the top 10 in overall scoring with 77 points. But it did not come without controversy.

While Panarin was not nearly as old as Sergei Makarov was when he won the Calder Trophy as a 31- yearold in 1990 — which prompted the league to change the age of eligibility to players 25 and under — the Chicago Blackhawks forward was older and considerably more experienced than McDavid.

Panarin, who went undrafted, spent six years playing in the KHL before signing a contract with the Blackhawks. He was automatically placed on a top line alongside scoring champion Patrick Kane.

Technically, he was still a rookie. But not in the same way as 19-year-old McDavid, who jumped straight from junior to the NHL.

“Sure he played pro hockey, but it’s nothing like the NHL,” said McDavid. “The KHL is probably as close to the NHL as you can get and that’s obviously a benefit, but it is still his first year in the NHL and what he did was amazing. I think he’s very worthy.”

It is difficult to say what role age and experience played in the voting process. Had McDavid not missed nearly half the season with a broken collarbone, he would have walked away with the award — and might have challenged Patrick Kane for the Art Ross and Hart Trophy as well.

“Obviously, it’s not the season that you plan, but to end up in Vegas for the Calder it’s hard to say it’s not successful in that way,” said McDavid. “Personally, I was fairly happy with it.”

McDavid, who missed 37 games, scored 48 points in 45 games and finished just behind Kane and Jamie Benn with 1.07 points per game. Unlike Panarin, who played with the top scorer, McDavid was on a virtual island on one of the worst teams in the league. He did it in a year where a devastating injury could have made his transition all the more difficult.

It is why when it comes to naming the best young player in the game, there is not much debate.

“He’s obviously going to be one of the top players — if not the guy — for many, many years to come,” said New York Islanders captain John Tavares, who was amazed at how McDavid bounced back from injury.

“He had a pretty tough injury and what’s most impressive is that he seemed to be a better player when he came back. That’s not an easy thing to do when you’re not playing.”

It was in November when McDavid broke his collarbone and missed t hree months of the season after getting knocked down and driven into the end boards. It would have been a devastating injury for any player, much less a rookie who was still learning how to navigate his first year.

But if anything McDavid came back stronger, scoring 11 goals and 36 points in his final 32 games.

“I thought he had an excellent season, aside from the injury,” Panarin said of McDavid. “He’s an excellent player, he’s very skilled, very smart and very fast.”

“It was definitely cool to see how he bounced back l i ke that,” added Gostisbehere. “Just the way he bounced back out there not just physically but mentally as well. He’s going to be the face of the NHL for a while now. He’s a great player now and it’s fun to watch him.”

McDavid, who will represent Team North America at the upcoming World Cup of Hockey in September, is hoping to build on his rookie season with the Oilers.

Like he said, it wasn’t perfect. But after ending the year by scoring the gamewinning goal in the goldmedal final at the world championship, it wasn’t all that bad.

“I’m not arguing at all,” said McDavid. “When you go through a year when a team doesn’t have much success, and personally with battling that injury, going into the world championship, I was trying to cap off the year on a high.

“I think to be able to win gold, everyone on the team f eels pretty good about themselves.”