NEW YORK \u2014 Part of Liam Greentree\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
That label and fan criticism of the trade<\/a> are an unfair weight for a 20-year-old. New York didn\u2019t 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\u2019s Corey Pronman projects him as a middle-six wing.<\/p>\n \u201cIn his draft year, he put up some big numbers and played huge minutes for our hockey club,\u201d Spitfires general manager Bill Bowler recently told The Athletic. \u201cI don\u2019t want to say we knew he\u2019d be an NHL first-rounder, but as game by game, day by day went on \u2026 it was obvious the NHL would be calling his name.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGreentree is a highly skilled and creative winger with good size,\u201d Pronman also said. \u201cWith the puck inside the offensive zone, he\u2019s excellent.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Greentree\u2019s 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\u2019s top 20 in the league in points per game.<\/p>\n \u201cI think he brings a lot to the table,\u201d said Chris Drury, the Rangers president and general manager, in a call with media after the trade. \u201cYou just look at his numbers and his offensive production, (and) it\u2019s very exciting. He\u2019s got some size to him, he\u2019s got really good hockey IQ and a lot of skill.\u201d<\/p>\n Drury added Greentree is \u201cready to turn pro\u201d 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s Scott Wheeler<\/a> he models his game off Minnesota Wild standout Matt Boldy.<\/p>\n \u201c(Greentree) can score, he can hit, he can engage physically if needed,\u201d Bowler said. \u201cI just think he brings a lot of different styles of play that others can\u2019t. Obviously, his willingness to do it is probably going to separate him or allow him to play in the National Hockey League.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the encouraging traits, Greentree is not a can\u2019t-miss prospect. One NHL evaluator described him as someone who could have a sustained NHL career but isn\u2019t guaranteed to. Though Bowler called Greentree\u2019s skating \u201cvery good,\u201d Pronman said he\u2019s subpar in that area.<\/p>\n That skating could perhaps be concerning for the Rangers. One NHL scout said he doesn\u2019t believe Greentree\u2019s skating will hurt him at the NHL level \u2014 especially if he plays a direct, attacking game \u2014 but said he\u2019d be nervous about the Rangers being slow as a team. Many of the team\u2019s top-six forwards are aging, and speed isn\u2019t a defining trait for Alexis Lafreni\u00e8re or Gabe Perreault.<\/p>\n \u201cThey need to find some pace somewhere,\u201d the scout said. \u201cThey need to find skilled players who play fast.\u201d<\/p>\n 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 \u2014 an encouraging sign as Greentree has worked with power skating coach Kyle Allard<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cGreat hands and tough for a big man,\u201d the scout said, adding that when he saw him most recently, Greentree was strong on pucks. \u201cWalked downhill and fired heavy, dangerous shots.\u201d<\/p>\n