The Los Angeles Kings are lagging in the race in the Western Conference Pacific Division, and that has a lot to do with their abysmal offense.
But a cure to their offensive malaise appears to have arrived via a trade with the New York Rangers for Artemi Panarin, whom the Kings immediately signed to a two-year, $22 million extension contract.
With that said, let's take an overview of the trade from both sides and grade the contract the Kings handed to “The Breadman.”
Rangers move on from Panarin
The Rangers are going nowhere this campaign, so trading Panarin was always going to be a big subject for the team heading into the NHL trade deadline.
The only big questions before the trade actually happened were about his landing spot and the potential return the Rangers would get in such a transaction. The answers to those hockey musings have already been answered by this trade, and many seem to feel that New York did not get the most out of the deal.
The Rangers could have done better than the package they got from letting such a talented player go. Then again, New York could only do so much, as Panarin has a full no-move clause. The Rangers would have liked getting a first-rounder instead of a third-rounder, but at least that will become a second-rounder if the Kings manage to win at least a series in the 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Moreover, New York probably preferred having someone like Liam Greentree, who is a former first-round pick and appears to be on the verge of breaking into the NHL, than a future first-round pick that comes with less definable upside. In 34 games with the Windsor Spitfires in the OHL, the 20-year-old Greentree has scored 23 goals and recorded 22 assists for 45 points.
Kings add more dough to their bread on offense
Los Angeles wanted to boost its offense, and the Kings went out and got one of the best offensive players in the league today. Even at 34 years old, Panarin remains a fantastic playmaker. He still ranks in several upper statistical percentiles, as shown here by JFresh.
Artemi Panarin, acquired by LA, is an elite playmaking winger. Incredibly patient and deceptive with the puck, one of the best east-west passers in the game, an excellent goal-scorer, and deadly in transition despite his lack of foot speed. #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/oN2hhwLGCg
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) February 4, 2026
At some point, Panarin's hockey abilities will be on a sharper decline, but the Kings certainly are hoping that they are the ones who'll benefit from at least two of his best remaining years in the league.
Panarin's extension with Los Angeles gives the Kings at least two more years of control of an asset who is still playing at a high level and should reduce their worries on offense. Although he's not the be-all and end-all answer to Los Angeles' scoring woes, having Panarin for a longer period means a much higher floor for the team's attack going forward than it was previously.
For Artemi Panarin, the $22 million he's getting from this extension appears to be a big win for him, especially at this stage of his career. Plus, it's on the shorter side of the spectrum of multi-year deals, so he'll still get a chance to perhaps land at least one more big payday in the NHL down the road.
Before the trade, the Kings were just 28th in the NHL overall with a mere average of 2.57 goals per game and just 27th with a 108.0 expected goals for rate. Intestingly, Los Angeles is in the top 10 in scoring chance and high-danger scoring chance rates, so the addition of Panarin should significantly improve the Kings' ability to finish golden opportunities on offense.
On the season, Panarin, who started his NHL career in the 2015-16 campaign, has 19 goals and 38 assists for 57 points through 52 games.
