It has been well noted and commonly reported in the West in the past few weeks that the Los Angeles Kings and new general manager Ken Holland have been looking for a top-six scoring forward who can play on the winger with the top forward lines core for head coach Jim Hiller this regular season.
Is Artemi Panarin a viable forward scoring trade target this regular season in the West for the Los Angeles Kings and Ken Holland?
It appears that if the Kings and Holland in the front office make a change to the active roster lineup this regular season, it will be with adding more firepower to the top-six forward lines core, not on the bench with the head coach in Hiller for the team.
Last week, The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta mentioned the idea of the Kings and Holland pursuing a top-six scoring forward on the wing in the East or the Western Conference, like Artemi Panarin from the New York Rangers in the Metro or veteran winger Alex Tuch of the Buffalo Sabres.
The Kings have started to drop back in the standings in the West in the Pacific Division in this past couple of weeks in early-to-mid January this month. LA has only won four of the past 14 games in the West in this past month since late December.
LA ranks third from the bottom in the Western Conference in the league in the NHL this year in goal scoring offensively, at a clip of just 2.54 goals per game. The Kings' top offensive scoring forwards haven't been putting up numbers statistically and on the stat sheet the way they were expected to in the West this campaign in the 2025-26 regular season.
Adrian Kempe and Anze Kopitar have combined for just 22 goals and under 60 total points.
The team hasn't produced consistently on the offensive side of the ice or on special teams on the power play on the 5-on-4 man advantage this regular season. I don't know if something needs to change with Hiller's system offensively or if the team needs to rely less on defensive focus.
If the Kings wanted to make a trade deal work on the block with the Rangers before the trade deadline this regular season in the next couple of months, it could work with LA having some valuable prospect players and assets to trade.
This past week, Sportsnets' Elliotte Friedman reported on Jan. 17 that the Rangers "won't offer Panarin a contract extension" deal this regular season in the East. Panari will be an unrestricted free agent next summer in the 2026 offseason and after the conclusion of this 2025-26 season in the league.
"I think if Panarin and Tuch become available. I think LA is one of the teams that checks in on both, either whatever, one of those guys to try to bring them in. They hit the open market as a free agent. I also think LA is going to go after those guys to try to bring one of them in. But they’re looking for scoring, and that’s what they’re trying to do. And if other options become available"David Pagnotta
The Hockey News pitched the idea of the Kings finding another team with the Rangers to take on some of Panarin's contract salary deal, or to send some top prospects like Henry Brzustewicz and/or forward Liam Greentree to New York in this hypothetical trade package for Artemi.
Panarin does have a no-trade clause this regular season with the Rangers' front office. But he could be moved if general manager Chris Drury and the Rangers want to get him a change of scenery and move his contract for a good enough return from a team like the Kings this regular season.