Artemi Panarin was hard on himself when discussing rumoured reasons for Saad trade

Often lost in the everyday shuffle and grind of the NHL, is how the players are affected as human beings by the trades, waiver claims, line assignments and much more.

Of course, people will rarely have sympathy for the players based on their salary and the players will never ask for it.

Still, even with all the benefits that come with being a professional athlete, the spotlight can definitely wear on you. Take Artemi Panarin for example – he may have been one of the most popular players in Chicago the past couple years (Winning a Calder trophy and creating magic on a line with Patrick Kane), but in the end he still ended up getting traded.

For him, there was a clear reason why.

When Russian reporter Marat Safin asked about the rumours that Kane and Toews had requested for the return of Brandon Saad, Panarin was frank about the results of the team in his tenure.

“"There are a lot of rumors now." I do not care who or what was said. It is possible that it was so, but if I won two Stanley Cups in my two years in Chicago, then I would not be exchanged. I'm the one who lost twice in the first round. Who is there to be offended by?”

He later expanded on that point, specifically discussing Saad’s success with the Blackhawks and their difference in styles of play.

“Brandon Saad, who I was traded to Columbus for, is a good player. He has a contract for four years. With him, Chicago won the Stanley Cup. I would keep playing for them for I don’t know how long, showing off.”

Of course, he didn’t perform spectacularly in the 2017 playoffs, but no one on Chicago did. They ran into a team in Nashville at the wrong time, but the year before he put up seven points in the seven-game series against the Blues. He is hardly to blame for the losses in the past two seasons, and he even addressed that he might be a little too hard on himself at times, but he is hoping the change of scenery will help.

“The last season turned out to be very difficult in psychological terms. In the next, I will not think about extraneous things or about what they think of me. Very often, it seems that people make out your actions a big deal, but no one really pays you as much attention.”

The Bread Man was definitely a fan-favourite in Chicago, and we’re sure he will be again in Columbus. Hopefully he doesn’t try to change his style of play too much, because he was one of the more entertaining players in the league during his time with the Blackhawks.