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02/04 16:44 CST LA Kings acquire high-scoring Artemi Panarin in a trade with the New York Rangers LA Kings acquire high-scoring Artemi Panarin in a trade with the New York Rangers By STEPHEN WHYNO and GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writers LOS ANGELES (AP) --- The Los Angeles Kings acquired high-scoring left wing Artemi Panarin from the New York Rangers on Wednesday for a conditional third-round draft pick and prospect Liam Greentree. The Kings then signed Panarin to a two-year, $22 million contract that will keep the Russian forward in Los Angeles through the 2027-28 season. The trade ends weeks of uncertainty around the future of the 34-year-old Panarin, who hadn't played since Jan. 26 while the Rangers held him out in anticipation of trading their top scorer in each of the past seven consecutive seasons. He currently leads New York with 57 points in 52 games. Panarin is a major acquisition for the Kings, who have stayed in contention for their fifth consecutive playoff appearance this season despite ranking 31st in the NHL with 139 goals and 29th in power-play success. Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala are the only Kings with more than 13 goals or 30 points this season. Los Angeles has been committed to defense-first hockey for more than a decade, and coach Jim Hiller has kept the system alive despite four consecutive first-round playoff exits to the Edmonton Oilers. But new GM Ken Holland swung this move to inject some excitement and offense into a team that has appeared to be stuck between fringe Stanley Cup contention and full rebuilding. Panarin is the NHL's seventh-leading scorer over the past five seasons, putting up 156 goals and 298 assists for New York. He scored at least 25 goals in eight of his first 10 seasons, including a career-high 49 goals and 120 points two seasons ago. Panarin's departure is the biggest deal yet in what general manager Chris Drury called a retooling process rather than a rebuild for the last-place Rangers. In a letter to fans on Jan. 16, Drury said the focus would be on "obtaining young players, draft picks and cap space to allow us flexibility moving forward." But because Panarin had a full no-movement clause, he was able to control his destination. With several contending teams making inquiries about his services, he elected to go to Los Angeles. The Rangers retained half of his $11.6 million salary cap hit while acquiring Greentree, the 20-year-old Windsor Spitfires forward taken late in the first round of the 2024 draft. If the Kings win a playoff round, the pick becomes a second-rounder. If they reach the Western Conference final, the Rangers also get a 2028 fourth-round pick. The deal, which was finalized less than an hour before the NHL's Olympic trade freeze, takes the best player available off the market more than a month before the March 6 trade deadline. Panarin is the third pillar of the Rangers' recent teams to move to Southern California since New York reached the Eastern Conference final in 2024. Jacob Trouba, the defenseman who served as the Rangers' captain for 2 1/2 seasons, was traded by Drury to the Anaheim Ducks in December 2024. Veteran forward Chris Kreider, the Rangers' longest-tenured player, was also shipped to Anaheim by Drury last summer. Both players have thrived in their new home with the Ducks, who are in contention for their first playoff appearance since 2018. The Rangers already traded depth defenseman Carson Soucy to the crosstown rival New York Islanders for a third-round pick since Drury's rebuilding letter went out. Vincent Trocheck, who is 32 and signed for three more seasons after this one at a reasonable salary cap hit of $5.625 million, could fetch more than Panarin if he gets dealt. ___ AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

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