New York Rangers Trade Artemi Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings

by | Feb 4, 2026

New York Rangers Trade Artemi Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings

ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Emily Kaplan report the New York Rangers have traded winger Artemi Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a conditional 2026 third-round draft pick and prospect forward Liam Greentree.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That’s not much of a return for a player of Panarin’s caliber, but the Rangers didn’t have much choice. The 34-year-old winger has a full no-movement clause, and Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports the Kings were the only team he wanted to go to and the only club the Rangers had to work with.

New York Rangers trade winger Artemi Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings (NHL Images).

Walker reports that the conditional third-round draft pick can become a second-round pick if the Kings win a playoff round and a conditional fourth-rounder in 2028 if they win two playoff rounds.

Panarin was reportedly seeking a contract extension before waiving his no-movement clause. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported there’s no extension yet, but the two sides are working on it.

Recent reports claimed Panarin was seeking a $40 million or a $50 million extension. Either one guarantees he would get at least $10 million annually. That’s a bit of a pay cut from his current $11.642 million annual average value, but still a hefty price to pay for a playmaking winger who turns 35 in October.

(UPDATE: ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reports sources claim the Kings and Panarin have agreed to a two-year extension worth an AAV of $11 million.)

The Kings are among the lowest-scoring teams in the league, which is hampering their efforts to secure a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Panarin should provide a welcome boost to their offense in the short term, especially with team captain Anze Kopitar recently returning from injury.

Over the long term, however, Panarin won’t be able to fill Kopitar’s skates as a center, and locking him up to an expensive, lengthy deal will take a big chunk out of their projected $26 million in cap space for 2026-27. That could complicate efforts to land a potential replacement for Kopitar.

 










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 8, 2025

by | Sep 8, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 8, 2025

The latest on Kings forward Adrian Kempe and defenseman Brandt Clarke, Ryane Clowe resigns as Sharks assistant GM, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RG.ORG: James Murphy reports that Los Angeles Kings general manager Ken Holland considers re-signing Adrian Kempe to be a top priority for his club.

The 28-year-old winger is eligible for unrestricted free-agent status next July. A recent report claimed the two sides were $1 million apart in negotiations.

Los Angeles Kings winger Adrian Kempe (NHL Images).

Holland said he’s had several brief conversations with Kempe’s agent, but expects negotiations will begin soon. “I believe he wants to stay, and we’ll see if we can get the process started and hopefully find a solution.”

The Kings GM praised Kempe, who has scored 35 or more goals in three of the last four seasons and averaged more than 67 points per season. “He’s a shooter. He can play 200 feet. He kills penalties. He’s got a great shot. He can one-time pucks. He’s got a great release. He can be a one-shot scorer,” Holland said. He also cited Kempe’s skating, versatility, and importance to the team.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kempe is in the final season of a four-year contract with a team-friendly average annual value of $5.5 million. Holland should be prepared to pay a hefty price to keep Kempse because he’ll draw plenty of interest if he becomes available. Another 35-plus goal season could earn him over $9 million annually on the open market next summer, especially with the salary cap rising to $104 million for 2026-27.

Holland also indicated that he’s taking a wait-and-see approach with Brandt Clarke. The 22-year-old defenseman is in the final season of his entry-level contract.

“I think he’s a really talented guy with a bright future,” Holland said. “Now we’ve got to figure out where it’s going.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Clarke surfaced in trade rumors during this summer. However, Holland isn’t in any hurry to move the promising blueliner. Having taken over as Kings general manager in May, Holland wants to take some time to evaluate his players and his team.

Holland already knows what Kempe is capable of because the winger has established himself as a reliable scorer. He hasn’t seen as much of Clarke, whose first full NHL campaign was last season.

MAYOR’S MANOR: Speaking of the Kings, prospect forward Liam Greentree’s recovery from offseason wrist surgery went well. He attended the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires’ training camp, played one preseason game, and will attend the Kings’ rookie camp this week.

THE MERCURY NEWS: Ryane Clowe has resigned as the San Jose Sharks’ assistant general manager. He’d been in the job for one season.

Clowe didn’t state a specific reason for the decision, but said in a statement released by the Sharks that the decision was best for his family.

SPORTSNET: Former Sharks winger Kevin Labanc has joined the Carolina Hurricanes on a professional tryout offer. In 2024-25, the 29-year-old winger has 12 points in 34 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery in February.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Labanc spent eight of his NHL seasons with the Sharks. He was considered a promising forward after a 40-point performance in 2017-18 and a career-high 57 points in 2018-19. However, his production declined in subsequent seasons.

DAILY FACEOFF: Former Edmonton Oilers forward Klim Kostin would like to play for the club again. The unrestricted free agent played for the Oilers in 2022-23, netting a career-high 11 goals and 21 points in 57 games, and five points in 12 playoff contests.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Oilers won’t be making any additions to their roster anytime soon. They only have around $225K in cap space for the coming season.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 21, 2024

by | Jul 21, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 21, 2024

The Canucks sign Daniel Sprong, an updated list of the best remaining unrestricted free agents, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

THE PROVINCE: The Vancouver Canucks signed forward Daniel Sprong to a one-year contract on Saturday. The cap hit is $975K, leaving the Canucks with only $15,833 in cap space with 23 active roster players under contract. However, they could garner $2.5 million in cap relief if defenseman Tucker Poolman remains on long-term injury reserve.

Vancouver Canucks sign Daniel Sprong (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canucks are Sprong’s sixth club since his NHL debut in 2015-16. He’s coming off an 18-goal, 43-point performance last season with the Detroit Red Wings. Sprong enjoyed a career-best 21 goals and 46 points with the Seattle Kraken in 2022-23.

THE SCORE: Before Sprong’s signing, he was among the best available forwards in the UFA market. The remaining notables include James van Riemsdyk, Blake Wheeler, Max Pacioretty, Kyle Okposo, and Tyler Johnson.

Noteworthy defensemen include Tyson Barrie, Tony DeAngelo and Oliver Kylington. Goalies include Martin Jones, Antti Raanta and Kevin Lankinen.

SPORTSNET: The Nashville Predators and defenseman Spencer Stastney remain apart in contract talks amid arbitration. Stastney seeks a one-year, one-way deal worth $950K while the Predators want a two-year, two-way contract worth $775K at the NHL level.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The arbitration period began on July 20 and runs to Aug. 4.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Los Angeles Kings signed forward Liam Greentree to a three-year entry-level contract. Greentree, 18, was chosen in the first round (26th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft.