One of the prospects most Los Angeles Kings fans are excited about is last year's first-round pick Liam Greentree. He had an incredible season in the CHL with the Windsor Spitfires with 119 points and was even setting records in the playoffs. After the season he had, Greentree clearly looks ready for the AHL and moving one step closer to the NHL.
However, there is currently a rule in the AHL that players have to be 20 years or older to play in the league. Under this current rule, Greentree is ineligible to play in the AHL next season and more than likely will return to CHL.
One of the big stories across the league recently has been a new CBA being ratified and ensuring there is no stoppage of play through the 2029-30 season. Within this new CBA is a provision that the Kings wish was a year sooner to help Greentree reach professional hockey sooner.
According to Frank Seravalli, the new CBA will allow teams to place one player from the CHL who is 19 years old on their AHL roster. This new provision will begin for the 2026-27 season, and at this point, Greentree will be 20 years old and eligible for the AHL.
Could the LA Kings bring Liam Greentree directly to the NHL next season?
While unlikely, one option the LA Kings are going to have for this upcoming season is bringing Greentree all the way up to the NHL and add him to their roster. However, there are a few things that have to take place for that happen.
The first is that he has to be on the Opening Night roster, so it will be up to Greentree to show in training camp and preseason that he is ready for the NHL. In a recent article by Zach Dooley at the LA Kings Insider, Greentree certainly has not limited himself and has a goal of reaching the NHL.
As Dooley notes, there are players that have done this and the last being Brandt Clarke. It would be interesting to see how the Kings would handle this scenario because Greentree can only play nine games in the NHL before a year of his contract would be accrued.
While it would be fun to see Greentree in the NHL next season, it seems like it would be only for a limited time and 2026-27 season is the pivotal one for the Kings' top prospect.