The Rangers’ offseason reset opened the door to a lot of questions, and one of the biggest centers on Liam Greentree. After moving on from Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck, New York has a thinner look up front and a prospect pool that suddenly matters a whole lot more. That’s why Greentree, the 2024 first-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings, has become such an intriguing name in the conversation.
Greentree came back in the Panarin trade, and because Panarin had made it clear he would only accept a deal to the Kings, the Rangers were limited in what they could get. Even so, Greentree stood out as the headliner of the return.
He brings real upside, and his production with the Windsor Spitfires over the last two seasons has given Rangers fans plenty to dream on. The hope now is simple: at some point soon, he becomes part of the club’s plans.
Peter Baugh of The Athletic recently ran through the most likely options for the Rangers’ top two lines next season, and he did leave room for a wild-card scenario with Greentree. In that setup, Greentree would slot on the right wing of the second line with J.T.
Miller and Gabe Perreault. Baugh also noted that it might not happen until late in the season, if the Rangers are out of the playoff race.
"Should the Rangers count on him being ready for top-six minutes this season? Absolutely not.
Would they welcome him - or another prospect, be it Cole Beaudoin or Adam Sýkora - proving himself as ready to play up the lineup? Absolutely," writes Baugh.
That’s the kind of opening the Rangers would love to see from a prospect, even if it’s not the most likely outcome. A top-six role out of training camp would be a major surprise, and it seems more probable that an Alberts Smits makes the opening night roster. Still, if a forward makes a strong enough impression on head coach Mike Sullivan, there’s a path for someone to force the issue.
Greentree’s numbers help explain why he’s on the radar. In 2024-25 with Windsor, he posted 49 goals, 70 assists, and a plus-55 rating in 64 games.
This past season, his output dipped some, but it was still strong: 38 goals, 36 assists, and a plus-19 rating in 52 games. Baugh also pointed to teammate and Washington Capitals prospect Ilya Protas in discussing that slide.
Even with the dip, those are the kind of totals that keep a prospect conversation alive. The real question is how that production translates once the competition gets tougher.
The Rangers did make one major move to address the forward group, signing Pavel Dorofeyev to a seven-year, $77 million contract extension after acquiring him on opening night of the draft. New York is banking on him continuing the 35-goal pace he’s established over the past two seasons in Vegas. Oliver Bjorkstrand was also added, but the roster still has a clear hole in the top six.
Beyond Dorofeyev, the Rangers didn’t bring in another true top-six forward, which leaves them leaning on what they already have. Bjorkstrand could help, though he may be more impactful on the third line.
Will Cuylle could also work his way into that group again. But the external market doesn’t offer many enticing options now.
That’s why internal answers matter so much. If Greentree can make himself part of the picture this season - whether in camp, in the AHL, or later on - it would give the Rangers a real boost. And it would make an already important prospect pipeline look a lot brighter.
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