NHL Trade Grades: Rangers Trade Panarin to the Kings...

There’s also the option of slotting him in with Quinton Byfield, who is expected to become the face of the organization once this season wraps up. Panarin’s career-high in goals is 49, set during the 2023-24 season with the Rangers. This year, he has 19 goals and 38 assists for 56 points in 52 games. With the acquisition, Panarin now leads the Kings in scoring. He is sitting 12 points ahead of Kempe, who previously led the team. All it cost was their top prospect and a conditional third-round pick. Rangers Grade: C+ For the Rangers, this deal is a bit more complicated. They were open about wanting to move Panarin, but because he controlled his destination and chose the Kings, their leverage was limited. Still, they managed to acquire a strong prospect in Greentree. He now has a chance to become an important piece of their rebuild. “We valued him, a prospect like him, higher than a ’26 or ’27 first-round pick. He’s an ’06 birth year and ready to turn pro and wrapping up on his junior career,” said GM Chris Drury. Greentree’s NHL comparable at the draft was Jason Robertson, who has turned into a strong secondary star with the Dallas Stars. That alone gives the Rangers something to build around. Now that Panarin is off the books, New York can shift its focus to other players. For example, they could focus on Vincent Trocheck, who could potentially bring back a bigger return due to greater team control. Drury added, “It’s never easy to move a player of Artemi’s caliber, but it’s provided us an opportunity to accumulate valuable assets for the future…As I stated in the letter to our fans, no one is happy with the way we have performed this year. As the president and GM, this is ultimately my responsibility. In the end, landing Greentree and a conditional third that could become a second-round pick for a player who dictated his landing spot is a respectable return. Even if it falls short of what Panarin might have fetched with more teams, it was still decent.