Rangers newest star embracing pressure in New York: ‘kind of a privilege’
Pavel Dorofeyev is 25 years old, a proven producer in the NHL recently acquired by the goal-starved New York Rangers to help jumpstart their sagging offense. And he’s going to be paid handsomely for his efforts, after agreeing to a seven-year, $77 million contract with the Rangers, who missed the playoffs two years in a row and won one Stanley Cup championship in the past 86 years.
Talk about pressure. That’s like standing in the middle of Times Square with a bullseye on your back.
But Dorofeyev just may have the right temperament — not to mention on-ice skill set — to avoid wilting under the white-hot spotlight he’ll be under in New York.
“The pressure is, it’s kind of a privilege,” he said Friday, speaking with reporters on a Zoom call from his native Russia. “So I’ve been dealing with the pressure all my life, and yeah, I mean, just looking forward to join the team and do my best to help in any way I can.”
The Rangers surrendered two first-round draft picks, including the No. 26 overall selection this year, and a third-rounder in a stunning draft-day trade to acquire Dorofeyev from the Vegas Golden Knights. He led the Golden Knights with 37 goals this past season, and helped them reach the Stanley Cup Final with 12 more goals in 22 postseason games, second most in the League. Vegas lost in six games to the Carolina Hurricanes.
The young sniper also was second in the NHL with 20 power-play goals in the regular season. And he led Vegas the year before with 35 goals, as well. Dorofeyev is one of only 12 NHL players to score 35 or more goals each of the past two seasons. Mika Zibanejad led the Rangers with 34 goals this past season, and had 20 the year before, by way of comparison.
The Rangers finished last in the Eastern Conference in 2025-26 largely due to their struggles to score consistently enough. They finished 23rd in the NHL with 235 goals, and had minus-14 goal differential. New York was also shut out 10 times, most in the League.
“His unique skill set, and his production, specifically in goals is something that we were in need of, and [we] targeted him, and we’re thrilled to be able to pull off a trade with Vegas,” general manager Chris Drury explained Thursday.
Pavel Dorofeyev gushes about trade: ‘It’s great to be a Ranger’
Though he’s from Russia, and played professionally out west in Nevada for Henderson of the American Hockey League and, of course, the Golden Knights — Dorofeyev is comfortable with New York and the Tri-State area.
“I’ve been around the area for the past years. I know the city and all around the area,” Dorofeyev said. “It’s great to be a Ranger, and I’m thankful for the whole organization that they believe in me, and they traded for me.”
Dorofeyev trains with Ben Prentiss during the offseason in Connecticut. So, he already knows Adam Fox, J.T. Miller, Matt Rempe, and Drew Fortescue among current Rangers players. So, there’s some familiarity already before he even steps foot in Madison Square Garden next season and puts on the Rangers sweater for the first time.
“First of all, I would like to say thank you to my agent (Rick Komarow). He had to set up everything for me, so when we were deciding where we were going to train, he just told me about Ben and the New York City area,” Dorofeyev explained. “We didn’t hesitate to go there, and here we are now signing a seven-year contract with the Rangers. I’m just excited about it. … Of course, it does help.”
Dorofeyev shared that neither Drury nor coach Mike Sullivan discussed his role yet or who his linemates might be next season. There’s plenty of time for that. But he did play with some pretty good players in Vegas, like Mitch Marner, Jack Eichel, and Mark Stone.
Drury emphasized Thursday that Dorofeyev joins a talented group on Broadway, as well. It starts with Zibanejad up front and Fox on the back end. Alexis Lafreniere, Gabe Perreault, and Will Cuylle are talented young forwards. Oliver Bjorkstrand is a six-time 20-goal scorer. Sean Durzi was just acquired to provide more offense from the blue line. And the Rangers expect a bounce-back season from Miller, who had 103 points in 2023-24, but just 53 last season.
The Rangers had the fifth-best power play in the NHL last season, converting at 24.7 percent. That’s with Fox missing 27 games due to injury, Miller slumping, and Artemi Panarin traded away in February. Add Dorofeyev to the first unit, Durzi and Bjorkstrand to the second group, and New York’s power play could be fairly lethal in 2026-27.
With terrific underlying numbers 5v5, Dorofeyev should provide a boost to the Rangers, who struggled at even strength last season.
There are plenty of things to be excited about when it comes to Dorofeyev playing for the Rangers. And he’s equally excited about this opportunity in New York.
“There’s so many reasons to want to play here,” he said. “You know, Original Six team, first-class organization playing at the MSG. The list (goes on).”
