The New York Rangers’ free-agent signing of the summer, Artemi Panarin, gave an interview where he did something unprecedented for a Russian athlete of his caliber: criticize President Vladimir Putin. “I think he no longer understands what’s right and what’s wrong. Psychologically, it’s not easy for him to judge the situation soberly. He has a lot of people who influence his decisions. But if everyone is walking around you for 20 years telling you what a great guy you are and how great a job you are doing, you will never see your mistakes.” Panarin admits that he used to...
