Panarin is “just dynamic,” in the words of Los Angeles forward Alex Laferriere.
“Our power play is a lot better with him, too,” Laferriere said, “just the way he sees the ice, the way he controls the puck. It’s fun to watch being out there with him.”
Before Panarin’s arrival, the Kings were tied for 29th in the NHL with 2.54 goals per game and 29th with the man advantage (16.0 percent).
In the 26 games since his debut Feb. 25, Los Angeles was tied for 19th in the League with 3.00 goals per game and was 20th on the power play (20.0 percent).
“Not only is he a great player on the ice, he’s a great addition to the locker room, too,” Laferriere said. “He’s been an unbelievable guy to get to know. He has so much experience in this league and it’s been fun to get to know him.”
Between moving from New York and a busy game schedule following the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics, Panarin hasn’t had much time to check out Los Angeles. That will come. What he knows is he likes where the Kings are and that he’s a part of them.
So much so, he waived his full no-movement clause to join Los Angeles.
“I feel pretty good, actually,” he said, “When I played with the Rangers, obviously I don’t know much about (the Kings), and I was picking a team with a feeling more than anything else. I’m kind of happy because we have a great second line, too. ‘Moors’ (Trevor Moore), ‘Laff’ (Laferriere) and ‘Q’ (Quinton Byfield), it’s great to have them.”
Panarin led Los Angeles in scoring in their final 20 regular-season games with 21 points (eight goals, 13 assists), and Kempe was second with 20 (13 goals, seven assists, with Byfield (16 points; 11 goals, five assists), Moore (15 points; six goals, nine assists) and Laferriere (15 points; five goals, 10 assists) right behind.
“They helped a lot the last 20 games of the season, they played really well,” Panarin said. “I mean, you need two top lines for sure, and that’s helped a lot. I’m just happy.”