2026 Rangers Season Previews: Pavel Dorofeyev

This article is part of an ongoing series of New York Rangers Season Previews, taking a close look at what we can, and should, expect from each member of the 2026-27 New York Rangers. To read other articles in this series, go here.

When general manager Chris Drury released The Letter 2.0 in January, he promised to bring in a certain type of player. His exact words were:

"We will target players that bring tenacity, skill, speed, and a winning pedigree with a focus on obtaining young players, draft picks, and cap space to allow us flexibility moving forward."

Pavel Dorofeyev checks multiple boxes on this list. But acquiring him from the Vegas Golden Knights was not cheap. The Rangers sent the 26th overall pick, the 92nd pick, and a 2028 top-10 protected first-round pick. Shortly after, the team inked him to a seven-year contract with an average annual value of $11 million.

Both the trade and the contract are a fair price to pay for a player who recorded 35 goals in each of the past two seasons. But how smooth will his transition to Broadway be?

Previous Performance

Last season, the man nicknamed "Scorofeyev" netted 37 goals and 27 assists for 64 points in 82 games with Vegas. Of those 37 goals, 20 came on the power play, where he registered an xGF/60 of 1.02, the 16th best in the league with a minimum of 200 minutes of ice time, per Evolving Hockey. Dorofeyev had an even strength xGF/60 of -0.021 this past season; it was a step down from the 2024-25 season, where it was 0.123.

Dorofeyev is a pure goal scorer offensively who generates offense through a wicked shot and impressive hands. According to NHL Edge, Dorofeyev's hardest shot this past season was 93.33 MPH, which ranked in the 93rd percentile. While he is able to find the back of the net through multiple different approaches, getting the puck into the offensive zone is not his strong suit.

Dorofeyev is not the fastest skater (which does not mean a bad skater) and was not tasked with transitioning the puck with his old team. Last season, he primarily played with Mitch Marner in the former Maple Leaf's first season with the Golden Knights. Dorofeyev spent nearly 55 percent of his ice time with Marner, and he won't be playing with someone of the same talent level in New York, which can pose a challenge.

Despite being known for his offensive abilities, Dorofeyev has strong defensive metrics with an xGA/60 of -0.142, which was the third best among forwards on the Golden Knights. Dorofeyev has also proved he is capable of performing in the playoffs, having netted 12 goals and 4 assists in 22 games last season. His 58 shots on goal were the most of any player in the postseason. Dorofeyev's past has shown he has no issue finding the back of the net.

Expectations

Everyone is looking at Dorofeyev to come in and be the driving force of offense for the Rangers this season, because that was what he was brought in to do. Fortunately, a play style like Dorofeyev's should translate fairly well. But the team will need to find someone who can get him the puck. The speculation on the Blueshirts' lines has been off the charts this offseason, but I believe it is best if he plays with Gabe Perreault and Mika Zibanejad.

Everywhere Perreault has gone, including the NHL, he has been an elite puck distributor. Pairing the two together with the team's best center will help the Rangers get the best out of their two young cornerstone players. Going from being the fourth option on a team that made the Stanley Cup to the top option on a bottom-three team sounds like a recipe for regression, but playing the two together with another step from Perreault could prevent that.

It is without question that Dorofeyev will roll out with the first power play unit, which ranked fifth in PP% last season. If Adam Fox remains healthy, Dorofeyev could continue to thrive on the man advantage. Much of replicating Dorofeyev's success will be finding players who can deliver him the puck, and the Rangers have the potential to do that.

Predictions

80 GP | 40 G | 29 A | 69 PTS

This scenario sees Dorofeyev recording a career high in goals, assists, and points in his first season with the Rangers. I believe this will happen in large part because of having to be the team's driving offenstive force, and my confidence in Fox and the development of Perreault. The Rangers' revamped blue line with the addition of Sean Durzi, Marcus Petterson, and Alberts Smits will also help the team's play in transition, which should improve scoring chances.

Maybe I am being a bit optimistic about the Rangers this year, especially with the career high in assists. But the Rangers should benefit from playing in a weak Metropolitan Division, and it can't get much worse than a season ago. The roster is more tailored to the style of hockey head coach Mike Sullivan wants to play, which will help get the team back on track.

The Bottom Line

The trade for and extension of Pavel Dorofeyev is precisely what will define Drury's retool. Drury gave up major draft assets and a long-term contract to acquire a young scoring winger. Even though I don't think the contract is by any means an overpay, if he does play poorly, then $11 million is quite expensive. This is the ultimate make-or-break move for the Rangers.

The Rangers don't need to win the Stanley Cup for this year to be a success, but they need to get back on track, which starts with seeing some return on their investments. Dorofeyev will have to show that he wasn't a player dependent on playing next to Jack Eichel or Mitch Marner. Even if he doesn't record the lofty numbers I project, he must show that he is a pure scorer no matter who are his linemates.