Let’s remember this. For all of the good intentions and common sense displayed by David Quinn in anointing Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich as the Rangers’ first line, a year ago the coach opened with Chris Kreider on the left with Zibanejad and Buchnevich as the top unit … and stayed with it for all of two games.

So yes, though this year’s troika likely will have more staying power than last season’s top trio, nothing is set in concrete. The fact is, it will be up to Buchnevich to protect his assignment after being unable to do so last year, when he journeyed from the first line to the fourth and all points in between in a learning year. He was not reunited with Kreider and Zibanejad until Game 72.

Panarin, more of a distributor and transporter than a shooter, should form a perfect union with Zibanejad, more of a sniper than a dispatcher. The upside of this combination of high-end talents is through the roof. Buchnevich, who has all of the attributes necessary to complement his higher profile linemates, is the X-factor.

“I was proud to see his progress and the way he finished after a tough start,” said Zibanejad, the Rangers’ captain-in-waiting. “I can see that there’s more maturity to his game. I want to help him continue to grow.”

Buchnevich recorded nine goals and four assists over his final 17 games to finish at 21 goals and 17 assists for the season, with a 17.6 shooting percentage in 64 games. His compete level and work away from the puck improved dramatically as the year evolved following four healthy scratches through the opening 49 matches. His work earned him a two-year contract worth $3.25 million per season and an assignment on the first line.

Artemi. Mika. Pavel.

The AMP Line.

“Everybody knows they [Panarin and Zibanejad] are good players. It’s good for me to play with them,” Buchnevich said. “The first half of the year was hard for me, I was so focused on my contract and getting points, not playing for the team. After that, I just tried to have some fun and enjoy playing hockey.”

Panarin, whom Buchnevich called, “a legend in Russia before he came to [the NHL],” had a twinkle in his eye when he addressed the media following practice, his remarks translated by Elizaveta Nemchinov, Sergei Nemchinov’s daughter. She and Victoria Zelepukin, former Devil Valeri Zelepukin’s daughter, will serve as interpreters for the club’s Russian contingent throughout the season.

“We have everything we need [to succeed] with that line,” said Panarin, who arrived in New York three weeks ago after a seeming lifetime of waiting to play for the Rangers. “I can talk to [Buchnevich] in my native language and everyone knows what kind of player Mika is.”

There were jokes, of course, about the Swedish centerman having to learn some Russian in order to communicate with his mates. The fact is there is a universal hockey language, which is what they were talking when they broke off as a line between drills to chat among themselves.

“We want to build that chemistry on a hockey level,” Panarin said. “It will be great.”

Panarin talked about how he feels less pressure in New York than he did in Chicago, with which he signed as a 24-year-old undrafted free agent in 2015, and Columbus, to which he was traded for Brandon Saad (!) after two seasons, primarily because of cap concerns. Apparently No. 10 is unafraid of the expectations that come with the contract he signed on July 1, under which he will earn an average of $11,642,857 for the next seven seasons.

“I’m really happy with my team and my teammates,” said Panarin, who recorded 79 points (28-51) last season for the Blue Jackets. “Everything has been better than I expected.”

Panarin is a transformative talent who elevates the play of those on the ice with him. He will start with Zibanejad and Buchnevich. How long that lasts is up to them and to Quinn, the coach who last season sent Zibanejad out with 19 different sets of wingers over the course of the schedule.

Again. Nothing is set in concrete. But the AMP Line should have some staying power. This isn’t last year.