Artemi Panarin addresses his trade to Columbus in Q&A with Russian reporter

A few months have passed since the Blackhawks made a pair of blockbuster moves that transfixed the hockey world on the morning of the 2017 NHL Draft, with much of the focus in Chicago centering on the return of Brandon Saad. Artemi Panarin hasn’t been heard from much since the deal went down, except for a tweet where he thanked the Blackhawks fans and organization. The language barrier probably didn’t help here, but that wasn’t an issue for Panarin when he sat down with Russian reporter Marat Safin for a lengthy Q&A that appeared online today. The two met in St. Petersburg, where Panarin has been training for the next NHL season and was awarded a trophy as Russia’s best player in the recent World Championships.