The New York Rangers' trade of Artemi Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings is now officially finalized. At the time of the trade there were conditions in the trade that were conditional based on how far in the playoffs the Kings went, and with their elimination in the first round at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche, the book has been closed on what was one of the most important deals of the season.
Rangers will not receive a second-round pick
When Chris Drury swung a deal with Los Angeles back in February, he structured the deal in such a way that the Blueshirts would benefit if Panarin led the Kings to success in the playoffs. For that reason the initial return was prospect Liam Greentree and a 2026 conditional third round draft pick. Had the Kings made it out of the first round, that pick would have been upgraded to a 2026 second round draft pick. Additionally, because the Kings did not make it to the the Western Conference Final, the Rangers will not receive a fourth round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft.
In all honesty, the odds of the Kings winning a round, let alone two rounds, was always pretty long. It didn't help that they lost Kevin Fiala to an injury during the 2026 Winter Olympics, but the overall team just wasn't very good. That Drury was unable to get a more concrete return, one that didn't rely on the Kings performing, will only make fans who were down on the trade that much more disappointed.
The major part of the return is showing promise
That said, Greentree has played pretty well since the Rangers added him to their prospect pool. He ended the season with 38 goals, 36 assists, and 74 points in 52 games, and so far in the playoffs with Windsor he has six goals, and five assists for 11 points in 10 games. The Spitfires are currently down 2-0 in the Western Conference Finals of the OHL playoffs, and the team returns home for Game 3 and Game 4 this week.
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