Hawks' Panarin gains new agent, loses $500 to Kane

With the help of a translator, Artemi Panarin held court with a small group of reporters before Thursday's game against Buffalo at the United Center. Some highlights:

• Panarin has officially changed agents, going from Tom Lynn to Dan Milstein, who is originally from Ukraine. Panarin, who agreed to a two-year, $12 million extension on Dec. 28, said he made the change so he could better communicate with his representative. "As somebody who doesn't really speak English fluently, it was a little bit of a hassle to bring everything to a translator first," Panarin said. "I felt more comfortable getting somebody who speaks Russian." Milstein also represents Pavel Datsyuk, who played for Detroit from 2001-16.

• Asked if he knows where his wicked one-timer is going when he unleashes it, Panarin said, "Approximately. It depends on how the pass is given. If the puck is faster or wobbly, I don't really have time to aim, so I just shoot. If it's more straight and slower, I aim."

• What's the biggest thing Panarin has learned from playing with Patrick Kane? "I can't really point at one moment. I'm always ready to give a pass to Patrick and even just playing with a player like that, you obviously learn something, little hockey things, even without sometimes realizing it."

• Finally, in answering a question about being a part of Russia's world junior championship team in 2011, Panarin went off subject and lamented losing a bet to Patrick Kane when the United States juniors beat Russia in a shootout in Montreal on Wednesday. "He's $500 more richer," Panarin said.