Liam Greentree’s path with the Rangers has opened up in a way that nobody quite saw coming, and not necessarily at the spot he’s known for.
New York brought in the winger as part of its retool after sending Artemi Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings, and while the return wasn’t going to be massive because Panarin had a no-trade clause, Greentree still arrived as a player worth watching. He had been tearing it up in the OHL with the Windsor Spitfires, and his shot and scoring touch immediately stood out as the kinds of tools that can force a team to take notice.
The wrinkle is that the Rangers may want to see whether he can do more than play on the wing.
NHL.com’s Dan Rosen recently ranked New York’s top prospects and slotted Greentree third, behind defenseman Alberts Smits and center Cole Beaudoin. In that piece, Rosen noted that the Rangers like Greentree at center because of his size.
"Glass said the Rangers have been struck by Greentree's maturity since they began working with him in February. They like his size (6-2, 207) and power at the center position."
That’s a notable development, especially since Greentree has spent most of his time on the wing. Over four seasons with Windsor, he had only limited faceoff work, winning 41 of them. So the idea of him getting a look down the middle is at least a little unexpected.
Still, that’s exactly what camp and the preseason are for: figuring out what a player can really handle.
And the opportunity is there. The Rangers’ center group took a hit this offseason when they traded Vincent Trocheck to the Utah Mammoth in the deal that brought back defenseman Sean Durzi and center prospect Cole Beaudoin.
Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller sit atop the depth chart, Noah Laba looks lined up as the third-line center, and that leaves a fourth-line opening heading into training camp.
Joe Veleno could wind up there after signing a one-year deal, but that spot is hardly spoken for. Beaudoin makes plenty of sense too, given his extensive center background. Even so, Greentree’s offense is hard to ignore.
The numbers in Windsor are loud. In 2024-25, Greentree posted 49 goals and 70 assists for 119 points in 64 games. His production came down the following season, but he still managed 38 goals and 36 assists for 74 points in 52 games.
For a Rangers team that could use more help up front and doesn’t have much to work with in free agency or on the trade market, the most obvious move may be to look inward. Greentree is one of the prospects who could give the offense a jolt if his game translates. The real question now is whether the Rangers give him time at center during camp and let that experiment play out.
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