NEW YORK — Part of Liam Greentree’s legacy with the New York Rangers is already in place, even though he has yet to play an NHL game. He will always be the primary chip the Rangers got for sending star winger Artemi Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings.

That label and fan criticism of the trade are an unfair weight for a 20-year-old. New York didn’t acquire Greentree expecting him to replace Panarin. The 6-foot-3 forward, currently captaining the Windsor Spitfires in the Ontario Hockey League, is his own player and a legitimate NHL prospect. The Athletic’s Corey Pronman projects him as a middle-six wing.

“In his draft year, he put up some big numbers and played huge minutes for our hockey club,” Spitfires general manager Bill Bowler recently told The Athletic. “I don’t want to say we knew he’d be an NHL first-rounder, but as game by game, day by day went on … it was obvious the NHL would be calling his name.”

“Greentree is a highly skilled and creative winger with good size,” Pronman also said. “With the puck inside the offensive zone, he’s excellent.”

The Kings took Greentree with the No. 26 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. A former NHL scout who evaluated him in his draft year said he had a rare combination of power and skill. Greentree scored 49 goals and 119 points in 64 games the next season, finishing third in the OHL scoring race. He had a monster playoffs, too, scoring 14 goals in 11 games. Bowler said his forward has a strong shot and can change angles when close to the net. That, along with his size and length, makes him hard to contain at the junior level.

Greentree’s production is down this season (24 goals and 48 points in 37 games) with a lower point-per-game rate (1.30) than in his previous two seasons (1.86 in 2024-25 and 1.41 in 2023-24). Still, he’s top 20 in the league in points per game.

“I think he brings a lot to the table,” said Chris Drury, the Rangers president and general manager, in a call with media after the trade. “You just look at his numbers and his offensive production, (and) it’s very exciting. He’s got some size to him, he’s got really good hockey IQ and a lot of skill.”

Drury added Greentree is “ready to turn pro” and said that, when making the Panarin trade, he valued a prospect like Greentree more than a 2026 or 2027 first-round pick. Bowler said the Spitfires do not expect Greentree to be back next season; he appears likely to sign with New York as soon as his OHL season ends.

The Rangers blocked a request for a phone interview with Greentree for this story, citing a team policy. Before the 2025-26 season, while the Kings had his rights, the prospect told The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler he models his game off Minnesota Wild standout Matt Boldy.

“(Greentree) can score, he can hit, he can engage physically if needed,” Bowler said. “I just think he brings a lot of different styles of play that others can’t. Obviously, his willingness to do it is probably going to separate him or allow him to play in the National Hockey League.”

Despite the encouraging traits, Greentree is not a can’t-miss prospect. One NHL evaluator described him as someone who could have a sustained NHL career but isn’t guaranteed to. Though Bowler called Greentree’s skating “very good,” Pronman said he’s subpar in that area.

That skating could perhaps be concerning for the Rangers. One NHL scout said he doesn’t believe Greentree’s skating will hurt him at the NHL level — especially if he plays a direct, attacking game — but said he’d be nervous about the Rangers being slow as a team. Many of the team’s top-six forwards are aging, and speed isn’t a defining trait for Alexis Lafrenière or Gabe Perreault.

“They need to find some pace somewhere,” the scout said. “They need to find skilled players who play fast.”

Still, that scout likes Greentree overall and thought the Rangers did well to get him in the Panarin trade. He said his skating looks improved — an encouraging sign as Greentree has worked with power skating coach Kyle Allard.

“Great hands and tough for a big man,” the scout said, adding that when he saw him most recently, Greentree was strong on pucks. “Walked downhill and fired heavy, dangerous shots.”

Panarin, who had a no-movement clause, picking Los Angeles as his preferred destination wasn’t ideal for the Rangers. The Kings have a diminished prospect pool; Greentree was Los Angeles’ only non-NHL player on Pronman’s list of top 137 prospects under 23 years old, checking in at No. 134. (Brandt Clarke was No. 89.)

“Didn’t want to give away Greentree,” Kings general manager Ken Holland said in his post-trade news conference. “But if you want to do anything, you’re going to have to move somebody.”

And Greentree is who the Rangers were able to pry away.

“He’s just scratching the surface,” Bowler said. “This is still a young man. He’s got a ton of tools, but to play at (the NHL) level, he needs to really dial it in in every aspect of his game.”

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed Greentree’s contract status. He signed an entry-level contract with the Kings before being loaned back to the OHL’s Spitfires.