Panarin: Going undrafted allowed me to choose where I wanted to play

Artemi Panarin believes that going undrafted in 2010 was the best thing for his career.

"I would like to thank all the (general managers) for not choosing me in the draft," the New York Rangers star said Tuesday, according to Lohud's Vincent Z. Mercogliano. "It allowed me to choose the team where I wanted to play, that played my style of hockey, and allowed me to be successful to begin with."

Panarin put up eight points in 20 games while playing in the KHL during his draft year. The dynamic forward was then passed over by every team, perhaps due to a fear that he would remain in the KHL.

He then blossomed into a star in Russia. Panarin totaled 26 goals and 62 points in 56 games and added 20 points in 20 playoff games in 2014-15, the season before he joined the Chicago Blackhawks.

Panarin once again had the opportunity to sign with the team of his choosing when he hit free agency last summer and inked a massive $81.5-million deal with the Rangers.

The 28-year-old turned in an MVP-caliber performance during his first season with New York. He tallied 32 goals and 95 points in 69 games and was named a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award on Tuesday.

"Obviously, when I came, I felt a little bit of pressure," Panarin said. "That's normal. But with both the surrounding people that I met in New York, and also the decision to read less press and look at less social media, allowed me to focus on my craft and drop that level of pressure and stress I might have felt."