Sports

Pavel Dorofeyev faces lofty expectations with Rangers' lucrative contract

Blue Line Station · Jul 22, 2026 21:36 · 3 min read

Pavel Dorofeyev faces lofty expectations with Rangers' lucrative contract — May 20, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Vegas Golden Knights right wing Pavel Dorofeyev (16) during the second period against the Colorado Avalanche in game one of the Western Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Rangers gave a huge contract to new winger Pavel Dorofeyev. But what does he need to do to live up to the contract?

The New York Rangers needed a scorer desperately this offseason, but it looked as though their opportunities to land one were slim. They were non-factors in the Brady Tkachuk and Dylan Larkin sweepstakes, and watched the likes of Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, and Kirill Kaprizov forgo free agency this summer to sign contract extensions with their respective teams before the start of this past season.

But, they made a big splash on the opening night of the draft by acquiring Pavel Dorofeyev from the Vegas Golden Knights. The Rangers dealt multiple draft picks, including one this year and in 2028, to the Golden Knights for Dorofeyev, who was a restricted free agent this summer. The Rangers quickly locked in Dorofeyev to a seven-year, $77 million contract.

The expectation is that Dorofeyev will instantly improve New York's offense, which is something they desperately needed. But there were concerns about whether or not Dorofeyev was a product of Vegas' stacked roster, which features Eichel, Mitch Marner, Mark Stone, and more. At $11 million per year, fans are going to have high hopes for Dorofeyev. But, what should fans expect?

The Athletic's Vince Mercogliano detailed keys to the Rangers having a successful 2026-27 season. When discussing Dorofeyev's contract, he says the winger can live up to it if he can score 30 goals or more a season consistently.

What does Pavel Dorofeyev need to do to justify lucrative Rangers contract?

"Dorofeyev is coming off 35- and 37-goal seasons, respectively, but those came while playing in a loaded Vegas lineup," writes Mercogliano. "He was probably the fourth option for the Western Conference champions and is now stepping into a role where he’ll be no worse than No. 2. How will he handle the added pressure and attention? We’ve heard mixed opinions regarding a winger who’s viewed as an elite shooter but not a dominant on-the-puck playdriver.

"The trade seems like a worthy gamble considering Dorofeyev’s age and critically important skill. Still, he’ll need to consistently hit that 30-goal marker to live up to the contract and jolt an offense that’s sagged in recent years."

Dorofeyev's recent works shows that his 2024-25 season wasn't a fluke. This past season with the Golden Knights, he scored 37 goals and recorded 27 assists, both of which were career-highs, through 82 games. In the playoffs, Dorofeyev showed that he can shine when the lights are brightest. During the Golden Knights' run to a Wester Conference championship and the Stanley Cup Final, Dorofeyev scored 12 goals, five of which were on the power play (most in the entire playoffs), in 22 games.

With the Golden Knights as a team on a cap crunch, they didn't have the space or the funds to give Dorofeyev anywhere near what the Rangers offered. The Rangers and general manager Chris Drury ensured they could land a young scorer and lock him in the for foreseeable future. That was part one. The next part is for Dorofeyev to show he was worth the contract.

This past season, the Rangers showed they had a promising top line of Mika Zibanejad, Gabe Perreault and Alexis Lafreniere. But with Dorofeyev entering the fray, you'd have to imagine he is a winger on the top line. Plus, he should easily slot in on the Rangers' top power play unit. Even though the Rangers offense was far from great, they did rank fifth in the entire league in power play success rate with 24.7 percent. Adding Dorofeyev should make them a legitimately powerful unit on special teams.

But now, Dorofeyev is on a team that is nowhere near as stacked as the Golden Knights. So it's up to him to show that he can be a difference maker on the Rangers and potentially become a next face of the franchise. If he can score 30 goals or more a season consistently, that should be considered a win.