The New York Rangers had a bit of an exciting time back on June 27, hours before the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft got underway. They had the fifth overall pick and eyes on selecting a potential franchise defenseman that can help right this sinking ship.
But then, out of left field, they announce a trade, and the Rangers acquired Pavel Dorofeyev for two first-round draft picks, the 26th pick of the 2026 draft and the 2028 draft, and a third-round pick from the 2026 selection process. After that, the newest winger of the Blueshirts signed an unprecedented seven-year, $11 million AAV contract, following his last two seasons of 35+ goal hockey out in the desert.
On Wednesday, The Athletic (paywall) listed its top 150 players across the NHL and tiered them from cornerstone pieces to supporting casts. Dorofeyev was labeled as the latter, sparking a debate that the Rangers might have just dug themselves into a big hole with Dorofeyev and this contract.
Let’s talk about it.
Gross overpay to spark hope?
The consensus here is that Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury had to bring in a new “superstar” following the departures of both Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck. A move had to be made, and bringing in Dorofeyev was the best available option.
But with goaltender Igor Shesterkin already at a hefty price tag of $11.5 million AAV, and now Dorofeyev at $11 million AAV, where does this leave the future? The salary cap continues to go up, but eventually, some players will have to get paid a lot of money, or else they will walk.
Namely Adam Fox, who is up for a new deal in three years from now. His $9.5 million AAV is going to be a glint in the rearview mirror as he now has a bolstered defensive core around him to support him. Fox cannot be let go, and everyone knows that. Are the Rangers going to have enough money to keep him?
Let us also not forget about the younger players. Gabe Perreault, if things go as planned, could be the next big thing for the Blueshirts, and the RFA price tag is exceptionally high following the signings of Leo Carlsson, Macklin Celebrini, and Connor Bedard. Perreault is not in that category, but if he can develop into a first-line or top-six winger, he is going to have to get paid a pretty big sum of money.
Dorofeyev is going to have to pull out all the stops in 2026-27 to rewrite this ranking. He has shown an innate ability for goal scoring, and that is exactly what the Rangers need at the moment. If he can excel at that and become an X-factor for this roster, then his big-time deal will be worth it.
For now though, it seems like the Rangers might have over-indulged. The opinions of him as a player don't match his current price tag. Whether that is a symptom of analysts not grasping the rate at which the salary cap is growing, or fears that Dorofeyev was a product of his environment remains to be seen.
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