Rangers To Acquire Pavel Dorofeyev

According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, the New York Rangers are finalizing a deal to acquire Pavel Dorofeyev from the Vegas Golden Knights. Dorofeyev is expected to become a restricted free agent in a few short days with arbitration rights. Furthermore, Mollie Walker of the New York Post shared that the Golden Knights will receive Dallas’ 2026 first-round pick (26th overall), Buffalo’s 2026 third-round pick (92nd overall), and a top-10 protected 2028 first-round pick.

Dorofeyev becomes the latest consequence of the Golden Knights’ lack of cap space. Vegas only has $4.6MM available as they head into the offseason, and with the team reportedly prioritizing an extension with Rasmus Andersson, there was little chance of being able to afford Dorofeyev, too.

Make no mistake, the expectation is that Dorofeyev will get paid this summer. After primarily serving as a high-level AHL talent and secondary scorer in the NHL level, the former third-round pick burst onto the scene during the 2024-25 campaign. In an explosive showing of offense, Dorofeyev scored 35 goals and 52 points in 82 games for the Golden Knights with a +2 rating.

Although some believed that it was just a one-year showing of offense, Dorofeyev followed it up with another impressive season, scoring 37 goals and 64 points in 82 games this past season.

However, as impressive as Dorofeyev’s scoring output has been, there are some reasons for pause. Of his 72 goals the past two years, nearly half of them have come on the powerplay. That’s not to say that Dorofeyev isn’t good at scoring goals, but if he goes on a cold streak with a man advantage, his production could crater.