Kyle Garcia 
It was another Wednesday until it wasn’t. With the trade deadline a month away, LA Kings General Manager Ken Holland made his first splash on the job since accepting it nearly nine months ago.
With two games left before the Olympic break, Holland pulled off a trade with the New York Rangers, acquiring 34-year-old forward Artemi Panarin. In return, the Rangers received the Kings’ number-one prospect, Liam Greentree, and two conditional draft picks.
— LA Kings (@LAKings) February 4, 2026
ARTEMI PANARIN IS AN LA KING. 🍞
Full release 📰📲 https://t.co/2pUOAa8SPk pic.twitter.com/u5NwmyQ7m5
— LA Kings (@LAKings) February 4, 2026
Although everything has happened so suddenly, here are my takeaways from the deal.
Kings get offense
By now, we all know the Kings have been starving for offense. With Panarin, Los Angeles gets a player who will instantly slide into the top six of their forward group. Panarin has 57 points (19 G, 38 A) in 52 games with the Rangers this season. With the Kings playing a defense-first system, we’ll see if Panarin will be the same player for the Kings as he was with the Rangers (more on that later).
Artemi Panarin doing Artemi Panarin things. 🎯 pic.twitter.com/dqwGvKaX1O
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 22, 2025
Fair price
This isn’t a bad deal for the Kings from my perspective. Two conditional picks and a prospect? You take that deal anytime. While I valued Greentree highly over the last year, you have to give up an important asset to get something in return. The two-year extension for the Breadman should soften the blow a little bit, but the Kings’ shallow prospect pool is now extremely thin up front, with Greentree off to New York.
Artemi Panarin is going to the Los Angeles Kings, let me and @AdamSchefter.
Liam Greentree and conditional third round pick are the return.
— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) February 4, 2026
I’m told the Kings were the only team Artemi Panarin wanted to go to and the only team #NYR had to work with.
Return is Liam Greentree, a conditional 3rd that can become a second if the Kings win 1 playoff round (would be better of two Kings 3rds) and a conditional…
— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) February 4, 2026
Panarin extends with LA:
2 x $11M AAV
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) February 4, 2026
Kings are all in, but is it enough?
The mindset when Holland joined was to be all-in and go for the Stanley Cup. That thought process hasn’t changed. The Kings are all in as Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar are in the twilight of their careers, but is it enough? I’m not sure if Panarin alone puts the Kings above the Colorado Avalanche or the Dallas Stars. Is it enough to finally slay the dragon in Edmonton that’s been in their way for four straight years? It’s a gamble, but Holland is always one who isn’t afraid to take a gamble for better or worse.
Are Panarin and the Kings a match?
Offensive-minded player versus a defensive-first-oriented team. When you come to California and play for the Kings, you not only have to deal with the California taxes, but also the Kings’ tax. From reports, it sounds as if Panarin had the Kings as his top destination. There’s no denying Panarin’s talents, but can he fit in Jim Hiller’s defense-first system? That will be something to watch for.
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
Featured image credit: Robert Sabo/New York Post