Rangers trade star winger Artemi Panarin to Kings for prospect and conditional draft picks
Mired in a brutally disappointing season, the New York Rangers traded star winger Artemi Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday, just minutes before the NHL Olympic roster freeze.
The Rangers, who reportedly retained half of Panarin's remaining salary cap hit season, received 20-year-old forward prospect Liam Greentree and conditional draft picks. If the Kings win a playoff round this season, the 2026 third-round pick they sent the Rangers becomes a second-rounder. If Los Angeles reaches the Western Conference final, New York would also get a 2028 fourth-round pick.
Greentree, who was selected 26th overall by the Kings in the 2024 NHL Draft, has 23 goals and 22 assists in 34 games this season for the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
Panarin deal is the big move so far in Rangers' retool effort
That Panarin was traded is not a surprise. Last month, Rangers general manager Chris Drury announced in a letter to the team's fans that the struggling franchise was going to embark on a retool instead of a rebuild, meaning there was the potential for several players to be moved, in some cases for NHL-ready talent.
Drury said the focus would be on "obtaining young players, draft picks and cap space to allow us flexibility moving forward."
Last week, the Rangers made a rare trade with the rival Islanders, sending defenseman Carson Soucy to Long Island for a third-round pick. Following the Olympic break, the Rangers will have 12 more days to reshape the team before the March 6 NHL trade deadline. Among others, veteran center Vincent Trocheck and his $5.625 million cap hit will likely draw interest.
The fact that the 34-year-old Panarin was in the final year of his seven-year, $81.5 million contract made him an obvious choice to be dealt. He also had a full no-trade clause, meaning he could control where he was traded. According to ESPN, he wanted to go to Los Angeles and Los Angeles only.
Not long after the trade, reports indicated Panarin and the Kings were closing in on a two-year extension that would have an average annual value of $11 million.
Panarin, who had 19 goals and 57 points this season, finished his nearly seven-year run with the Rangers with 205 goals and 607 points. Overall, he has 321 goals and 927 points in 804 career regular season games.
Panarin led the Rangers in scoring every season since signing with them as a free agent in 2019.