Artemi Panarin Has Been Traded to The Los Angeles Kings

As per Emily Kaplan of ESPN and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Artemi Panarin has been traded to the Los Angeles Kings for Liam Greentree and a conditional third. Several teams looked at Panarin, but a combination of his willingness to accept a trade, the potential need for an extension, and teams having the salary cap space made a deal challenging for several clubs.

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It is not yet known if an extension is part of the trade and if the Kings and Panarin have informally agreed upon a number. It was rumored he was looking for something in the neighbourhood of $50 million. GM Ken Holland was not afraid to take a gamble, especially with a changing roster in LA.

Panarin’s future was drawing league-wide attention, and Friedman previously reported that he liked the Los Angeles Kings as a team to watch. While Panarin would have preferred Florida, Friedman believes the Panthers faced major cap obstacles, making that scenario unlikely.

That opened the door for Los Angeles, especially with Anze Kopitar nearing retirement and the Kings debating whether to push in now or reset. Panarin could provide an elite offensive boost alongside Adrian Kempe and Quinton Byfield, potentially accelerating Byfield’s development. Friedman also noted Panarin may seek a sizable extension, with speculation around a four- or five-year deal that could approach $50 million.

More to come…

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