The biggest move the Los Angeles Kings and general manager Ken Holland made this past season was acquiring star winger Artemi Panarin from the New York Rangers before the trade deadline.
Roughly six months later, The Hockey News ranked Panarin as the best left winger in the Pacific Division entering the upcoming 2026-27 season, a distinction that is pretty difficult to argue against given his production and overall impact.
Panarin gives the Kings elite playmaking ability and great hockey sense with the puck on his stick in the top six. He draws attention from opposing defenders the way that no other player can on the Kings' roster offensively.
Why Artemi Panarin deserves to be No. 1
In the 26 games he played down the stretch with the Kings this past regular season, Panarin was a point-per-game player (27 total points). Panarin has always been a point-per-game producer, but the fact that he's still performing at this level this late in his NHL career proves how effective he can be consistently for the Kings this upcoming season.
With the puck on his stick, Panarin is able to drive the play and help to create scoring opportunities for his teammates in the softer areas of the ice and around the net.
After arriving in Los Angeles last season, Panarin instantly became the Kings' most dynamic and effective offensive weapon.
Panarin gives the Kings something they were missing in the last couple of seasons, a top-flight playmaker and creator with the puck in transition and in the offensive zone. He can help to not only elevate the players around him in the forward group, but Panarin also gives standout winger Adrian Kempe a legitimate star to play alongside him.
Entering training camp and the preseason this fall, the expectations will be sky-high for Panarin in his first full season in Los Angeles. He'll have a full offseason and training camp/preseason to build more natural chemistry with his linemates with the Kings for this upcoming season.
These types of rankings are always subjective, but Panarin has definitely shown why he belongs in the conversation. If he performs over a full season the way he did after arriving in Los Angeles this past season, Panarin will have every opportunity to prove that being named the Pacific Division's top left winger wasn't just deserved, but it may have been an easy choice for The Hockey News.
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