Rangers Star Artemiy Panarin Goes After Owners and Endorses New York as NHL Hub City in Latest Statement

The NHL was commended for how swiftly it developed a blueprint for its restart operation as its organization and overall incentive was right on par with that of the NBA. However, one of the sport's best players has recently come forward with massive criticism for league owners amid the hub city location debate.

On Thursday, New York Rangers winger Artemiy Panarin released a statement on Twitter and didn't mince words about the NHL's controversial escrow system. He even took things a step further by calling for the Big Apple to be one of the playoff hub cities.

These are some strong words from Panarin, and they come at an important time for NHL, which confirmed over the weekend its dates for training camps and official commencement of the 24-team Stanley Cup playoff.

It's really worth pondering if the Russian native will report to camp if an agreement on a new-and-improved CBA isn't finalized. Such a reality would be a massive blow to the Rangers, as Panarin has totaled 95 points -- 32 goals and 63 assists -- this season, the latter of which ranks third in the NHL.