The Rangers were able to find a buyer for Artemi Panarin before NHL rosters freeze for the Olympic break on Wednesday.
Panarin was traded to the Kings on Wednesday afternoon in exchange for a conditional third-round pick and prospect Liam Greentree, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Emily Kaplan.
Panarin, 34, was in the final year of his contract with New York. As the team fell further out of playoff contention, his future with the franchise grew murkier. It reached a boiling point when the Rangers announced Panarin would be sidelined for “roster management” purposes, effectively declaring he would not suit up again for the team.
The Kings were reportedly Panarin’s preferred destination, and he was able to lock down a contract extension with the franchise as part of the trade. Kaplan reports that Panarin and L.A. agreed to a two-year, $22 million deal, which will keep him with the franchise through the 2027-28 season. He had been making just north of $11.64 million in the final season of his seven-year contract with the Rangers.
This season, Panarin has 57 points (19 goals, 38 assists) in 52 games. He’ll join a Kings team that’s in the thick of the playoff race, currently sitting one point outside of a wild card spot in the Western Conference. He’ll have the opportunity to slot into Los Angeles’s top line, where he could play alongside Alex Laferriere and Adrian Kempe.
Panarin played the last seven seasons in New York and had 607 points in 482 games. He was ninth all-time in franchise history in points.
Greentree, 20, was Los Angeles’s first-round pick in 2024. He’s currently playing for the Windsor Spitfires in the OHL, where he’s racked up 45 points in 34 games this season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Kings Acquire Artemi Panarin in Blockbuster Trade With Rangers.
