The New York Rangers were able to unload superstar winger Artemi Panarin just before the NHL’s 3 p.m. ET roster freeze on Wednesday, sending him to the Los Angeles Kings for a conditional third-round draft pick this year, a conditional fourth-round pick in 2028, and prospect Liam Greentree.
With it, Panarin is signing a two-year, $22 million extension, per reports. The Rangers are also retaining 50% of his 2026 salary.
It is a modest return for a player of Panarin’s caliber, even though he is 34, and Greentree entered the season as the Kings’ top prospect. Panarin had 57 points in 52 games before general manager Chris Drury decided to hold him out just before their Jan. 28 game against the Islanders in anticipation of a trade.
Panarin held most of the power in this deal, which he was told was likely just before Drury’s memo to fans saying the organization was set for a “re-tool.” That included declining the notion of a contract extension for the All-Star forward, who recorded 205 goals and 402 assists in 482 games across seven seasons with the Rangers. His 607 points rank ninth most in team history, while his 1.26 points per game rank No. 1.
He held a full no-trade clause and would not greenlight a deal unless an extension was put in place. That immediately narrowed the field of potential suitors, like the Colorado Avalanche, who viewed Panarin more as a half-season rental before potentially hitting free agency.
Per Mollie Walker of the New York Post, the Kings were the only team that Panarin wanted to go.
As the headliner of the Rangers’ return, Greentree has recorded 23 goals with 45 points in 34 games with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League. He was drafted 26th overall in 2024.
The trading of Panarin is by far the most drastic move of Drury’s new vision of the Rangers, who sit dead last in the Eastern Conference this season. With more moves expected to come after the NHL’s roster freeze lifts on Feb. 23, the Blueshirts had also traded defenseman Carson Soucy to the Islanders.
