Right at the pre-Olympic deadline, the Rangers moved Artemi Panarin to the Los Angels Kings, in return for Liam Greentree and a third-round pick. Apparently Panarin only wanted to go to LA, which means a few hands were tied here. Panarin then signed a two-year extension with LA, worth $11M per season. The Rangers retained 50% next year, and with Anze Kopitar's money off the books next year, the Kings can make the dollars work.

What the Kings get:

In Panarin, the Kings get an incredibly skilled top-line winger who should be able to boost their offence and power play. The top unit currently is running out both Corey Perry and Andrei Kuzmenko, and at least one will likely be moved off the top unit with Panarin coming on. There isn't actually a centre on the top unit, and it seems Kempe has been taking faceoffs there, so we could see a shift to bring one of Quinton Byfield or Anze Kopitar back onto PP1.

As Micah outlines below, Panarin brings a lot of offence, but also provides a little of everything, which should help the team as a whole, including the goaltending.

Panarin is now the top offensive threat on the Kings, and allows everyone else to shift down a peg into a more suitable role on the team. It's a big get without moving anything else off of the roster.

What the Rangers ~~get~~ lose:

The loss of Panarin will be felt by the Rangers, but we have seen what they look like without him over the last two weeks anyways. It has allowed more ice time for youngsters Gabe Perreault and Will Cuylle, and opened up a spot for Alexis Lafreniere on the top power play unit.

Overall, it's a blow for the Rangers, who are likely to continue picking apart this roster, and to butcher a metaphor, bringing Panarin's boat out of the water is going to sink the water level for all of the remaining ships.

Liam Greentree is a solid prospect, but he's not exactly the kind of return you hope for when dealing a player of Panarin's caliber. He could get a look on the Rangers in the fall, but is more likely to make an impact in 2027 than late 2026.

Players this helps:

Kevin Fiala

Adrian Kempe

Quinton Byfield/Anze Kopitar

Los Angeles Defense and Goalies

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Gabe Perreault

Players this hurts:

Andrei Kuzmenko/Corey Perry

The rest of the Rangers team