Artemi Panarin has officially been traded by the New York Rangers to the Los Angeles Kings.
ESPN sources: The LA Kings have acquired standout forward Artemi Panarin from the NY Rangers in exchange for a conditional third-round pick and prospect Liam Greentree, per me and @emilymkaplan. pic.twitter.com/2PuTENRhEH
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 4, 2026
The Panarin trade comes following weeks of speculation whether or not President and General Manager Chris Drury would be able to find a new home for the Blueshirts' superstar forward, and the return is worse than what fans expected.
Los Angeles Kings trade Liam Greentree and a conditional third round draft pick
Liam Greentree is a 6'3", 216-pound forward who was drafted in the first round of the 2024 draft. He had 119 points in 64 games during the 2024-25 season, and this year has a line of 23-22-45 in 34 games as the current captain of the Windsor Spitfires.
Greentree has been described by Elite Prospects as a player who, "navigates his way around opponents with a series of look-offs, give-and-goes, and a sophisticated delay game that allows him to problem-solve his way around numbers off the rush. He’s constantly scanning, registering his options and the obstacles that would keep him from getting them the puck."
It was a difficult situation for the Rangers to be in, as Panarin's no movement clause allowed him to dictate where he wanted to go. That, plus the fact that Panarin was looking for a sizable extension as part of waiving his NMC. When you factor in that the Rangers had no interest in talking about an extension and bringing him back next season, it made things even harder for Drury. Per Emily Kaplan, a number of teams were involved in the process.
Several teams were in on Panarin until the end. Among them: Carolina. The Caps made a big contract offer. Believe Tampa Bay was there, but possibly as a rental. Don’t think Panthers ever got close, couldn’t make it work with the cap.
— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) February 4, 2026
That said, Drury doesn't get a reprieve for building a roster that resulted in the Rangers being in the situation they are, and he now needs to make sure that he knocks it out of the park with his remaining trades before the March trade deadline. Not getting a first round pick is brutal, and this return seemingly falls short of the previously referenced Brock Nelson package from last trade deadline. And part of the reason for that is that the Kings are the only place Panarin wanted to go, and with that being the case, that's a bit of tough luck for the Rangers.
I’m told the Kings were the only team Artemi Panarin wanted to go to and the only team #NYR had to work with.
— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) February 4, 2026
Return is Liam Greentree, a conditional 3rd that can become a second if the Kings win 1 playoff round (would be better of two Kings 3rds) and a conditional…
The Rangers retained 50 percent of Panarin's cap hit to complete this trade.
Panarin leaves Rangers as one of best free agent signings in NHL history
Panarin was in the final year of a seven-year contract worth $81.5 million, and he had a cap hit of $11,642,857. The now former Ranger appeared in 52 games this season and has scored 19 goals while adding 38 assists for 57 points. He finished the 2024-25 season with 89 points in 89 games, and the year prior he tallied 120 points in 82 games. This three year sample indicates that Panarin is trending down a bit, but he still has a lot to give his new team.