New Kings winger Artemi Panarin ‘never wanted to go anywhere else’

The Kings have long been a meat-and-potatoes team, but as their playoff hopes floundered, they reached out to “The Bread Man.”

Cerebral winger Artemi Panarin will make his Kings debut on Feb. 25 when they host the Vegas Golden Knights. He was acquired from the New York Rangers on Wednesday at the 11th hour, literally, before the NHL’s Olympic break trade freeze.

The Kings haven’t had a point-per-game scorer since Anže Kopitar in 2017-18 and have not boasted a 100-point producer since Wayne Gretzky in 1993-94.