The Los Angeles Kings may not be done dealing with the New York Rangers. Fresh off acquiring Artemi Panarin in a blockbuster trade, the Kings are still actively searching for a center and Vincent Trocheck’s name has come up as a potential target.
On the recent episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that LA’s pursuit of a center predates the Panarin deal and is still a priority for the organization. The Kings reportedly attempted to include Trocheck in the original Panarin trade package.
“We also know that the Kings had been looking for a center before Panarin dropped on their lap. They were really trying to find a center and that hasn’t changed. They are still going to try to find a center. Now, someone told me that there were some reports. I didn’t see them myself, but there were some reports that the Kings tried to get Vincent Trocheck as part of the deal,” Friedman said.
However, the insider pointed out that Vincent Trocheck‘s trade protection and stated preference to remain on the East Coast are significant obstacles to any potential deal.
“From what I’ve heard about Trocheck, he doesn’t have complete control of the situation, but from the control he does have and the preference that he has expressed, he prefers to stay east,” he added.
Trocheck signed a seven-year, $39,375,000 contract with the Rangers in July 2022, carrying a $5,625,000 cap hit through the 2028-29 season. The deal included a $14,500,000 signing bonus and comes with trade protection that varies throughout its term. He currently has a 12-team No Trade List in the 2025-26 season.
Artemi Panarin left larger contracts to facilitate trade to LA
Earlier this week, Elliotte Friedman reported that Artemi Panarin‘s move to the Los Angeles Kings saw the star winger turn down far larger offers to land in his preferred destination.
Friedman revealed that early negotiations between the Kings and Panarin’s camp explored a long-term deal worth roughly $45 million but Los Angeles ultimately backed away, unwilling to commit that much term to a 34-year-old. At that point, Panarin had multiple paths to cash in elsewhere around the league.
Once talks with the Kings stalled, Panarin’s agent contacted other teams and the market escalated quickly. According to Friedman, Seattle came up with a four-year offer carrying an annual value north of $14 million, while Carolina and other teams also remained in the mix with the ability to outbid Los Angeles.
Despite the money on the table, Panarin informed the Rangers that he would only accept a trade to the Kings.
“But Panarin, as evidenced Wednesday when he told the Rangers he would only go to LA, wanted the Kings. So they re-engaged and got to the two-year, $22-million zone they were comfortable with. Panarin wanted LA so badly he may have left $30 million behind.”
The final agreement was a two-year, $22 million extension, a figure well below what Panarin could have earned elsewhere. Friedman noted the winger may have walked away from as much as $30 million by choosing Los Angeles over richer long-term deals.
The Kings completed the trade by sending prospect Liam Greentree, a conditional 2026 third-round pick and a conditional 2028 fourth-round pick to New York, with the Rangers retaining 50 percent of Panarin’s remaining salary.
Edited by Anjum Rajonno
