When a player is traded or signs with a new team, their are a lot of things said player has to get straightened out before the season.
One of those things is finding a place to live in a new city.
Another thing a player has to figure out is what jersey number he'll wear with his new team.
Obviously if a player is lucky, he'll be able to wear the jersey number he wore with his old team, but that doesn't usually happen.
Scott Darling managed to negotiate with Derek Ryan for number 33, but Jonathan Drouin, for example, had to choose a completely new number.
Artemi Panarin of the Columbus Blue Jackets is in the same boat as Drouin as Sergei Bobrovsky is 72 for the Jackets and he didn't bother asking if he could make a deal for it, as per Paul Lysenkov of Sovsport:
(Note: Text translated from Russian to English by Browser)
Under your number 72 in "Columbus" stands Sergei Bobrovsky. Did not they offer him a coin toss?
"Or maybe the NHL will allow us to take it in turn through the game? I did not even ask Sergei, of course. It is clear that a person is older than me. For a long time playing in the NHL. In general, the goalkeeper with two "Veziny". I have zero chances!"
At this point, you're probably wondering which number Panarin will wear with his new team.
Panarin's going with No. 9 and the reason is directly related to his old number.
Here's the full translated quote on the new number choice, as per Paul Lysenkov of Sovsport:
"I took the nine, folding seven and two. I remember, somehow in the national team performed under this number. And in general I love how he looks. I'm not that superstitious. I take numbers that I like."
The number is a familiar one for Panarin as he wore 9 during the 2015 IIHF World Hockey Championship and he recorded 10 points in 10 games as Russia lost to Canada in the gold medal game.
(H/T: Sovsport)
