Rangers get concerning news, and it could be a bad omen for their 2025-26 NHL season

The New York Rangers have begun their camp prior to the start of the 2025-26 season, and without having played a single game, they have already received bad news that could be a bad omen for the next NHL campaign.

Star left winger Artemi Panarin was injured during the second day of camp, leaving the ice due to discomfort in the lower body and did not return. Coach Mike Sullivan categorized this situation as "precautionary."

"He’s just day-to-day with a lower-body injury," Sullivan said, via The Hockey News. "It’s more precautionary than anything. It’s so early in training camp, we want to make sure we get ahead on anything that could potentially be on the radar."

Panarin, 33, was a key piece for the Rangers last season. In 80 appearances, he registered 37 goals and 89 points. The previous campaign was a record for the Russian, registering 49 goals and 120 points in 82 games.

Artemi Panarin's early injury disrupts Rangers' momentum

Panarin's absence comes just under three weeks before the start of the 2025-26 NHL season, and what is surprising is that it happened even before the first preseason game against the New Jersey Devils, scheduled for this Sunday, Sept. 21.

If the Russian is not physically ready for the start of the season, the Rangers' attack could fall short from day one, and indeed, coach Sullivan himself described the 33-year-old winger as an important player for the team.

"He’s a game-breaker in so many ways. There are a number of players across the league that probably fall into that category, but there’s not a lot of them, and he’s one of them," said Sullivan.

Even if it is a brief absence, it could break the team's continuity from the start of the season. And if Panarin got injured just after two days of training, the concern could be greater at a competitive pace.