Kings Acquire Artemi Panarin From Rangers, Sign Him To Two-year Deal

The Kings acquired high-scoring near helping Artemi Panarin from nan New York Rangers connected Wednesday for a conditional third-round draught prime and imaginable Liam Greentree.

The Kings past signed Panarin to a two-year, $22-million statement that will support nan Russian guardant successful Los Angeles done nan 2027-28 season.

The waste and acquisition ends weeks of uncertainty astir nan early of nan 34-year-old Panarin, who hadn’t played since Jan. 26 while nan Rangers held him retired successful anticipation of trading their apical scorer successful each of nan past 7 consecutive seasons. He presently leads New York pinch 57 points successful 52 games.

Panarin is simply a awesome acquisition for nan Kings, who person stayed successful contention for their 5th consecutive playoff quality this play contempt ranking 31st successful nan NHL pinch 139 goals and 29th successful power-play success. Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala are nan only Kings pinch much than 13 goals aliases 30 points this season.

The Kings person been committed to defense-first lucky for much than a decade, and coach Jim Hiller has kept nan strategy live contempt 4 consecutive first-round playoff exits to nan Edmonton Oilers. But caller GM Ken Holland swung this move to inject immoderate excitement and discourtesy into a squad that has appeared to beryllium stuck betwixt fringe Stanley Cup contention and afloat rebuilding.

Panarin is nan NHL’s seventh-leading scorer complete nan past 5 seasons, putting up 156 goals and 298 assists for New York. He scored astatine slightest 25 goals successful 8 of his first 10 seasons, including a career-high 49 goals and 120 points 2 seasons ago.

Panarin’s departure is nan biggest woody yet successful what wide head Chris Drury called a retooling process alternatively than a rebuild for nan last-place Rangers. In a missive to fans connected Jan. 16, Drury said nan attraction would beryllium connected “obtaining young players, draught picks and headdress abstraction to let america elasticity moving forward.”

But because Panarin had a afloat no-movement clause, he was capable to power his destination. With respective contending teams making inquiries astir his services, he elected to spell to nan Kings.

The Rangers retained half of his $11.6 cardinal net headdress deed while acquiring Greentree, nan 20-year-old Windsor Spitfires guardant taken precocious successful nan first information of nan 2024 draft.

If nan Kings triumph a playoff round, nan prime becomes a second-rounder. If they scope nan Western Conference final, nan Rangers besides get a 2028 fourth-round pick.

The deal, which was finalized little than an hr earlier nan NHL’s Olympic waste and acquisition freeze, takes nan champion subordinate disposable disconnected nan marketplace much than a period earlier nan March 6 waste and acquisition deadline.

Panarin is nan 3rd pillar of nan Rangers’ caller teams to move to Southern California since New York reached nan Eastern Conference last successful 2024.

Jacob Trouba, nan defenseman who served arsenic nan Rangers’ skipper for 2 1/2 seasons, was traded by Drury to nan Ducks successful December 2024. Veteran guardant Chris Kreider, nan Rangers’ longest-tenured player, was besides shipped to Anaheim by Drury past summer.

Both players person thrived successful their caller location pinch nan Ducks, who are successful contention for their first playoff quality since 2018.

The Rangers already traded extent defenseman Carson Soucy to nan crosstown rival New York Islanders for a third-round prime since Drury’s rebuilding missive went out.

Vincent Trocheck, who is 32 and signed for 3 much seasons aft this 1 astatine a reasonable net headdress deed of $5.625 million, could fetch much than Panarin if he gets dealt.