He set career and franchise highs in points and assists, set the team record for points in a month - racking up 25 through 16 games in March - and tied the Blue Jackets' record for points in a single game.
Panarin also led the team in most categories, including a career-high rating of plus-23, and scored one of the most memorable goals in franchise history - winning Game 1 of the Jackets' first-round series against the Washington Capitals in overtime at Capital One Arena.
In short, the "Breadman" proved he wasn't just propped up by Kane in his first two NHL seasons. Kane's numbers were actually better with Panarin, which means they helped each other more than many people realized.
Panarin also helped the Blue Jackets last season, when a number of players battled injuries, scoring slumps or both. Here's a look back at what he did in 2017-18, by the numbers:
27
Panarin's goal total was the lowest he'd had in his three-year NHL career, after reaching the 30-goal mark each of his first two years with the Blackhawks. The reason for the overall dip is because Panarin had just seven goals in the first 35 games, as he settled into new surroundings. Once he established some chemistry with rookie center Pierre-Luc Dubois, Panarin took off - scoring 20 goals in his final 46 games.
82
Panarin set a new franchise record with 82 points on 27 goals and 55 assists in 81 games. He broke a record set by power forward Rick Nash, who had 79 points (40 goals, 39 assists) in 2008-09. Panarin's point total also resulted in career-high average of 1.01 points a game, bolstered by 54 points on 20 goals and 34 assists in his final 46 games of the regular season. During that stretch, which started Dec. 21, Panarin tied Pittsburgh Penguins forward Phil Kessel for 10th overall in scoring.
55
The goals dropped slightly, but Panarin's assists climbed significantly. He dished out 12 more than he did in 2016-17 with Chicago and topped his NHL career-best by eight with 55 assists. That included 35 primary assists, which tied for eighth-most in the league with New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal. Panarin also had 11 multi-assist games and set a career-high with 41 even-strength assists, which tied for second in the NHL with three other players.
19
Panarin collected points in bunches, finishing with more than one point 19 times. It was only the fourth time in Blue Jackets history a player finished a season with that many multi-point games, tying Ray Whitney (2003) and David Vyborny, who did it in back-to-back seasons (2006 and 2007). Panarin had five multi-point games in the first 35 games and 14 in the next 46 contests - including a five-point game, two four-poing games and four three-point games.
5
Three days after the Blue Jackets had a disappointing performance in a 4-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils at Nationwide Arena, Panarin led the charge to even the score against the division rival. He had a career-high five points, on a career-high five assists, to help Columbus win 5-3 against New Jersey on Dec. 8 at Prudential Center. All five assists were primary helpers and four of the five happened at even-strength.
70
All season long, coach John Tortorella lauded Panarin for his relentless effort on both sides of the puck. Despite a lack of bulk, weighing only 168 pounds, Panarin was one of the best puck hounds in the league. He led the Blue Jackets with an NHL career-high 70 takeaways and also set a career-best with a shot-attempts percentage (SAT%) of 57 percent - meaning the Blue Jackets usually had the puck with Panarin on the ice and took 57 percent of all even-strength attempts during his shifts.
