The Los Angeles Kings have made their boldest statement in years. Acquiring Artemi Panarin in exchange for Liam Greentree and a conditional third-round pick is the kind of swing that franchises make when they believe their championship window is wide open. For a team that has hovered in the contender tier but struggled to break through the Western Conference elite, adding a superstar winger like Panarin could fundamentally change their ceiling.
Panarin is not only a goal-scorer; he is a driver. Not many players in the league dominate the pace and tempo like he does. He can slow the game down and make plays, completely changing the look and structure of the Kings’ offense. Los Angeles has prided itself on its structure, depth, and two-way players. Now, they add one of the most elite playmakers in the league.
This is what a team needs to make a legitimate run at a Stanley Cup.
Where Panarin Fits in the Kings Lineup
Panarin fits right into the Kings’ top six and likely sits alongside captain Anze Kopitar as his winger. A likely top line of Panarin-Kopitar-Adrian Kempe brings Los Angeles a potent combination of skill, finishing, and veteran savvy. Kopitar is still one of the smartest two-way centers in the league, and putting him alongside a winger who excels in space could give Los Angeles an extra gear of offense late in Kopitar’s career.
Kempe’s speed will pair well with Panarin. The defense will have to respect Panarin’s playmaking, which opens lanes for Kempe to attack, making this a nightmare matchup for opposing teams. They will have trouble focusing on one of these threats without giving the other a chance to exploit them.
The ripple effect of this on the rest of the lineup should not be overlooked, either. Kevin Fiala and Quinton Byfield can now anchor a potentially terrifying second line, giving the Kings arguably one of the deepest top-six forward groups in the Western Conference. Byfield’s development will benefit from this, and Fiala will benefit from more favorable matchups. Depth wins in the playoffs, and this signing helps the Kings do that.
The power play will see Panarin work as a half-wall quarterback. His ability to hold onto the puck forces the penalty kill to collapse, giving him and the Kings opportunities for one-timers and backdoor opportunities. The Kings have a strong power play to begin with, and it could become elite.
What This Means Going Forward
This trade represents a philosophical shift. The Kings are no longer satisfied with simply being a competitive team; they now aspire to win a championship. The willingness to trade a prized prospect like Greentree demonstrates that the organization believes its nucleus, featuring Kopitar, Drew Doughty, and a developing Byfield, is ready to win now.
The addition of Panarin also opens things up for other teams to defend the Kings. He expects to face the opposition’s best player every night. That, in turn, opens things up for everyone else. In a seven-game playoff series, a single elite-level superstar can win a series on their own. Panarin has shown that he can win games on his own.
There’s also a cultural element to this trade. The addition of a player of Panarin’s caliber will energize a locker room. It sends a message to the existing roster that this organization believes in them. For younger players, it sets a new standard of what championship-level hockey looks like on a nightly basis.
The Western Conference is unforgiving, loaded with heavy, fast contenders. But the Kings didn’t make this move to keep pace — they made it to separate themselves. If Panarin integrates quickly and the chemistry clicks, Los Angeles suddenly has the firepower to go toe-to-toe with anyone.
This is no longer a team hoping to make noise.
This is a team expecting to.
Next: Artemi Panarin Has Been Traded to The Los Angeles Kings
