When New York Rangers President and GM Chris Drury landed Pavel Dorofeyev from the Vegas Golden Knights, it was evident he was swinging for the fences.
The seven-year, $77 million deal, even if it doesn’t look as onerous as it initially did, is a pretty significant wager.
If things work out, Drury will look like a genius. But if the move backfires, Rangers fans may not be too forgiving. And there’s reason to believe the move might not automatically work out.
A piece in The Athletic looked at the Rangers’ offseason. The discussion focused on an anonymous NHL executive’s opinion regarding the Dorofeyev move. The unnamed exec noted that “He’ll now be skating without Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner, both elite playmakers.”
As harsh as that sounds, it’s a reality. It doesn’t seem like the Rangers have the sort of Eichel or Marner playmaker that Dorofeyev thrived with in Vegas. And if the Rangers can’t find a running mate for the 25-year-old, the move could look questionable, to say the least.
The exec expounded on his point of view, honing in on why the lack of a playmaking partner is a must.
“If he doesn’t have people that can help get him the puck and play that way, that’s going to be a challenging one,” the executive said. “How much can he generate given that roster and who’s going to play with him? I’m sure their coaching staff and others are figuring all that out, but I don’t know how that couldn’t be a concern with the amount of money they’re spending on it.”
There’s no question that the coaching staff will need to figure things out. They still have the rest of the summer to sort it out. But there’s no question the clock is ticking.
Rangers retool met with plenty of skepticism
As for the Rangers’ overall offseason plan, the “retool on the fly” has been met with plenty of skepticism.
The idea of pulling out pieces and plugging new ones in makes sense to a certain degree. But according to one of The Athletic’s anonymous execs, retooling on the fly doesn’t always yield the desired outcomes.
“Give me an example of a retool where the team goes to the conference final or the Final. … The retool on the fly rarely works.”
The exec pointed to a division rival, the Washington Capitals, as an example of retooling works on the surface, but doesn’t really get teams close to a championship.
Still, Rangers fans do have cause for optimism. One unnamed scout expressed a bullish opinion regarding the direction the Rangers are heading.
“I think long term they should be fine… They’ve got the pieces to be fine and the boat to be stabilized.”
The comment comes when looking at how core pieces like Dorofeyev, Alexis Lafrenière, and Igor Shesterkin are all under contract for a while. Considering that the Rangers will likely turn their roster over within the next few seasons, it makes sense that the long-term core pieces remain in place for the foreseeable future.
It remains to be seen if this roster, constructed as it is, will be enough to get the Blueshirts back into the playoff picture in 2026-27.
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