The New York Rangers stunned everyone on draft day by trading for and extending Pavel Dorofeyev.
The Vegas Golden Knights fetched the 26th overall pick (traded to MTL), the 92nd overall pick (used on Ben Wilmott) and the Rangers’ top ten protected 2028 first-round pick for winger Pavel Dorofeyev. Shortly after, a seven-year extension carrying an $11 million cap hit was announced for the 25-year-old RFA.
Dorofeyev as a Player
Dorofeyev became an elite goal scorer his last two seasons. Across his last 164 games he scored 72 goals and 116 points. He carries 40-goal and 70-point upside.
He’s a pure finishing wing that’s intelligent off puck. He’s neither fast nor puck dominant, rather he finds scoring position by reading the play around him. Once in open ice, his wrist shot is accurate from anywhere. On the power play, his one-timer is just as lethal. Out of the 72 goals, 33 were scored on the power play. Defensively, he’s just as intelligent and hard working.
He’s a team first player. After scoring the overtime goal in game 5 against Anaheim he said, “It’s what I gotta do. It’s just my job.” He has no ego, just a willingness to win. Former Vegas head coach John Tortorella said, “I just like the way he handles himself. He’s just a hockey player.”
Why the Rangers Made This Move
Following a disappointing first half, Rangers GM Chris Drury announced a retool last season. He wanted to focus on “young players, draft picks and cap space” without entirely rebuilding. Forty-eight percent of the Rangers’ cap hit is bound by no-move and no-trade clauses, it’s impossible to completely rebuild. His goal was to replace movable assets with younger players and become competitive as soon as possible.
His biggest deal was trading star winger Artemi Panarin for Liam Greentree and a third-round pick. This freed $11 million in cap space on top of the leaguewide $8.5 million increase. Panarin was the team’s main play driver since signing in 2019.
Dorofeyev was Drury’s best option for a quick top-line replacement. While not a play driver, the Rangers have a potential 40-goal scorer locked up for the rest of his prime. After the extension, Drury has another $15.7 million to work with. This number can increase over time, meaning more flexibility during Dorofeyev’s tenure.
The question, is he worth a top-25 NHL salary?
Dorofeyev’s Impact
As a power-play specialist, Dorofeyev will give the Rangers’ unit more flexibility.
The Rangers had the fifth-highest power-play percentage last season. They attacked around the net and left wall, firing little to no shots from the right wall.
Dorofeyev will allow the Rangers to attack from any side of the ice as a left-handed one-timer threat.
While he’ll be without Mitch Marner and Jack Eichel, there’s no reason he’ll decline.
Adam Fox led the Rangers to a 28.2 percent power play after the Panarin trade. Being an elite quarterback, Fox will have no issues assisting Dorofeyev. Zibanejad has also shown playmaking ability, feinting one-timers to pass back post.
At 5-on-5, Dorofeyev will be without Marner. The Rangers don’t have a pure playmaker like Marner, but Dorofeyev scored more at 5-on-5 with Tomas Hertl and Brandon Saad in 2024-25. Dorofeyev doesn’t need a pure playmaker to succeed.
The problem is how much Dorofeyev can really improve the Rangers.
Their power play was already effective, it just rarely hit the ice.
Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan plays a slow and predictable offense. They don’t attack with speed in transition, they cycle along the boards and force the slot. Without Panarin, the offense is even slower and more predictable. It’s easily defendable and doesn’t draw penalties.
They finished bottom 10 in 5-on-5 goals scored last season. They were tied for the third-fewest minor penalties drawn at 5-on-5 last season.
Pavel Dorofeyev doesn’t solve this, he’s neither a fast player nor a creative play driver.
Defensively, the Rangers are awful in transition. Weak defense depth alongside a pinch-heavy system led to an onslaught of odd-man rushes. While a good defender, Dorofeyev is just a winger. He’s not a defensive anchor or a solution.
Barring trades, the Rangers’ only major change was replacing Panarin with Dorofeyev. The team has made no moves defensively.
His skills will support the team, but they solve no problems. He’s an elite complement, not a game-changer.
The Rangers are paying Dorofeyev $11 million to be bigger than their problems.