The first blockbuster trade of the 2026 trade-deadline season has arisen. Artemi Panarin, whose name has been circling in trade rumors for the past month, has been dealt to the Los Angeles Kings. The trade was first reported by Adam Schefter and Emily Kaplan of ESPN.
The Kings were one of the teams rumored to be in on Panarin, along with other clubs such as the Washington Capitals and San Jose Sharks. Panarin is a bona fide point-per-game player with 57 points (19 goals, 38 assists) in 52 games for the New York Rangers, who currently sit in last place in the Eastern Conference.
On January 16, Rangers general manager Chris Drury sent a letter to the fans, acknowledging their lackluster season and plans to enter a retool. Panarin, partly given the fact that his contract is expiring at season’s end, was the first name floated by NHL insiders. The Rangers even held Panarin out of the lineup for three consecutive games due to “roster management” reasons. It was also reported that a trade was likely before the NHL’s Olympic roster freeze this afternoon.
For Los Angeles, general manager Ken Holland has made it clear that he thinks his team can push for the playoffs and maybe more in Anže Kopitar’s last season. Given the Kings’ mixed recent development history of top prospects, moving 2024 first-round pick Greentree for a superstar makes a lot of sense.
Panarin will likely slot in on the Kings’ first line with Alex Laferriere and Adrian Kempe. His arrival should also provide a huge boost for the Kings’ power-play, which ranks 28th in the NHL at a measly 15.6%. 17 of Panarin’s 57 points have come on the power-play this season, with 15 of them being assists. Holland announced today that Panarin will make his Kings debut after the Olympic break.
It was also announced shortly after the deal that Panarin signed a two-year contract extension with the Kings, for an $11 million average-annual-value. Holland is clearly being aggressive with this current roster, and we’ll see if he continues to add to LA’s roster as the trade deadline on March 6th nears. Los Angeles is in win-now mode, which should excite Kings fans and provide a much-needed jolt to the roster.
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Loss to Seattle keeps LA on the outside of the postseason race
The LA Kings squandered a chance to keep their momentum following a successful road trip, putting up a lackluster display on Wednesday night against the Seattle Kraken. Panarin’s help cannot come soon enough, as the team looks to gain ground in the Western Conference wild-card race.
Mikey Anderson was also sorely missed tonight, especially on the penalty-kill. The Kings surrendered two power-play goals to Seattle, with one coming while their best penalty-killing forward, Joel Armia, was in the penalty box. Simply put, the Kings took way too many penalties tonight, totalling seven, but the penalty kill unit is severely weakened without Anderson. LA did not get much help from the officials, either, as some key calls went Seattle’s way.
Darcy Kuemper did not have his best night either. Vince Dunn’s power-play goal, giving Seattle a 3-1 lead, went right through Kuemper’s legs, one he’d likely want back.
“Was not a good game for us, I didn’t think we had much legs, execution. We just weren’t sharp,” said Jim Hiller.
On a brighter note, Andrei Kuzmenko notched two power-play goals on his birthday. His performance tonight makes a strong case for him to remain on the first power-play unit when Panarin enters the lineup.
The Kings will look for a bounce-back game tomorrow in Vegas, before the three-week break. LA honored its players, coaches, and staff heading to Milano Cortina for the Winter Olympics in a pregame ceremony.