The New York Rangers are hoping their offseason moves will end their two-year playoff drought. the team brought in some players to make an impact this season and beyond, while also acquiring some much-needed prospects who could be cornerstones in the future. To do so, they will need their top players to perform as well.
When it comes to the forward group, the offense will run through Mika Zibanejad. The center is entering his 11th season with the Rangers, and the team could live and die by his play. They need him to continue producing at a high level if they want to make the playoffs. But given his increased responsibilities, that could result in his most productive season in years with the Rangers.
Mika Zibanejad should see uptick in production with Pavel Dorofeyev in New York
The Rangers made the decision to not re-sign Artemi Panarin this upcoming summer, which then led to his trade to the Los Angeles Kings. That move might've netted the Rangers a winger prospect with upside in Liam Greentree, but giving up Panarin meant they were without one of their top scorers. With a weak free agent market, fans were wondering just who they would bring in to replicate said production.
On the opening night of the draft, the Rangers traded two first round picks to the Vegas Golden Knights to acquire winger Pavel Dorofeyev. After the trade went through, the Rangers and Dorofeyev agreed to terms on a seven-year, $77 million deal. That's how confident the Rangers are in his ability to help them out in the immediate and long-term future.
Dorofeyev is coming off of back-to-back 35-plus goal seasons with the Golden Knights. The main complaint from experts and fans was whether or not Dorofeyev could put up similar production in New York like he did in Vegas, where he had the likes of Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, and Mark Stone. But the easiest way to do so is for head coach Mike Sullivan to put Dorofeyev with Zibanejad.
Sullivan said this offseason that for Dorofeyev to thrive, it will be up to Zibanejad and J.T. Miller to help him out. That's because they are the top two centers on the team, and will be pivotal in ensuring they are giving Dorofeyev scoring opportunities.
"He's a scorer and he needs somebody to get him the puck, and one of the things when we watched him in Vegas, he was playing with a guy like Jack Eichel, who is pretty good at getting guys the puck," said Sullivan. "Whoever that center is that's going to play with him, and it's more than likely going to be either Mika or J.T., their ability to get him the puck is going to be important to set him up for success. We feel like both of those guys have the ability to get him the puck."
If Sullivan wants immediate results, it would probably be the wisest move to pair Dorofeyev with Zibanejad. That not only goes for even strength, but also on the power play. Maybe, just maybe, we could see Zibanejad get close to the 91-point year that he had during the 2022-23 season. Rangers fans would certainly sign up for that. Think of it like this, Zibanejad was primarily on the same line with Chris Kreider, who had the ability to finish plays. While Dorofeyev may not crowd the crease like Kreider did, his shot should be an incredible asset for Zibanejad. If the winger is open, pass the puck his way.
Sacrificing Rangers' top line last year won't sting if Mika Zibanejad thrives with Pavel Dorofeyev
If there was one certainty exiting last season, it was that the Rangers had their top line set in stone. Late in the season, Sullivan deployed a top line centered by Zibanejad alongside 2020 No. 1 pick Alexis Lafreniere and rookie Gabe Perreault. Little did Rangers fans know that it would be one of the more productive lines on the team that season. In five-on-five situations, the trio outscored opponents 14-10 on five-on-five situations. As the games went on, the more chemistry the trio built.
While it would make sense for Sullivan to keep the line together, Dorofeyev's talent simply is too good to place on the second line. You want to pair your top scoring winger with an incredible ability to finish plays by putting the puck in the back of the net, with your other best players. That would be Zibanejad.
That would leave either Perreault or Lafreniere to get demoted onto the second line alongside J.T. Miller and either Oliver Bjorkstrand or Eeli Tolvanen. That might help the team out more, ensuring there is more talent spread across the lines instead of making the offense too top heavy.
Sullivan already said it publicly that it is up to Zibanejad to ensure that Dorofeyev can play similarly as he had in Vegas. If that happens early in the season and throughout the rest of the campaign, Zibanejad may have even better offensive numbers than he did in the past couple of seasons.
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