The New York Rangers fanbase is waiting to see what general manager Chris Drury has in store for the offseason. Back in January, Drury and the Rangers punted on the season and declared that they were entering a "retool." Thus far, Artemi Panarin, Sam Carrick, Carson Soucy, and Brennan Othmann were traded for assets. Now this offseason, fans and NHL experts alike get to see what exactly Drury's plan is to get them out of the retool and back into Stanley Cup contention.
Looking at free agency, there are no saviors for the Rangers, as all of the superstars signed contract extensions before the start of the 2025-26 regular season. The quick solution was off the board for the Rangers, with Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, and Kirill Kaprizov all unavailable. Their best bet could very well be a trade. But who could they target?
The Athletic's Vince Mercogliano looked at potential trade targets for the Rangers if they wanted to make a "splash" in the offseason and bring in a top six forward or top four defenseman. One option that Mercogliano brought up was Vegas Golden Knights forward Pavel Dorofeyev, who is a restricted free agent this summer. The Golden Knights are loaded with stars, and they don't have much cap space to retain Dorofeyev, who is coming off back-to-back 35-goal seasons. But, Mercogliano stresses that the Rangers might be in trouble if Dorofeyev is given the offer sheet.
Pavel Dorofeyev presents Rangers with easiest, but incredibly expensive, way out of retool
"Given his age and proven finishing ability, Dorofeyev is exactly the type of player the Rangers should be pursuing," writes Mercogliano.
"He’s a prime candidate for an offer sheet, but the Rangers’ lack of a 2027 second-round pick — which was sent to Pittsburgh as part of the 2024 trade for Reilly Smith — would prohibit them from offering more than $7,163,498 annually and likely take them out of the running. Drury’s best hope would be convincing the Golden Knights to accept a trade, particularly if Vegas fears Dorofeyev signing an offer sheet with another club. The acquisition cost, of course, would be high."
Dorofeyev would be the ideal target for the Rangers, as he'd provide them with some much needed scoring in their top six forwards group. Look at his current playoff run with Vegas alone, as he has 10 goals through 16 games, which is tied for the most in the postseason. He is tied with Golden Knights teammate and former Ranger Brett Howden.
But given the fact that Dorofeyev managed to score 35 and 37 goals, respectively, these past two seasons on stacked Golden Knights rosters, goes to show just how much of an impact he can make for any team. The thing is, he's a restricted free agent, which makes things that much more difficult for the Rangers.
As a restricted free agent, Dorofeyev will negotiate exclusively with the Golden Knights. The Rangers could go the offer sheet route, but they are limited in terms of how they could negotiate. If Dorofeyev is heading into the $7.16 million to $11.94 million annual salary range, the Rangers are automatically eliminated, as they don't have their own 2027 second-round pick. That's due to the aforementioned Reilly Smith trade, where the Rangers gave that pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins. So the only way for the Rangers to get into the offer sheet route is if Dorofeyev's annual salary exceeds the $11.94 million salary mark. But, the price tag, according to Puck Pedia, would cost four first-round picks in the next five drafts.
According to AFP Analytics, a potential long-term contract for Dorofeyev would be for six-years at an annual salary of $8.99 million. So, in that case, that would rule out the Rangers.
But, there are ways to get around it. They could try and get that draft pick back from the Penguins, and it has been done before to try and get an offer sheet done. That happened back in 2024, when the St. Louis Blues signed Phillip Broberg and Dylan Holloway to offer sheets. To ensure that happened, they reacquired their 2025 second round pick from the Penguins. Once they did so, they gave up second- and third-round picks, while signing both players to separate two-year contracts. So it's entirely possible the Rangers could try to get that draft pick back from the Penguins.
If that is the case, here is what the Rangers would have to give up based on the offer sheet formula, according to PuckPedia:
- $7.16 million-$9.55 million annual salary: 2027 first-round pick, 2027 second-round pick, 2027 third-round pick
- $9.55 million-$11.94 million annual salary: 2 first-round picks within nex three years (beginning in 2027), 2027 second-round pick, 2027 third-round pick
There is also the opportunity for the Rangers to just outright trade for Dorofeyev so the Golden Knights can outright avoid the offer sheet scenario. But, as Mercogliano mentions, that would be much more costly, as it would have to be an offer above the value of what the Golden Knights would get from the offer sheet compensation.
Either way, Dorofeyev could very well cure what ails the Rangers. They need top six scoring forwards in the worst way, and Dorofeyev fits the bill of what they are looking for. However, acquiring him is going to be difficult.
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