The New York Rangers are back in similar territory from a few years ago, as the second retooling phase is upon us. It ended the first time, a bit prematurely at that, around when Artemi Panarin was signed and Alexis Lafrenière was drafted, sparking a Blueshirts revolution.
Two Eastern Conference Finals appearances and a Presidents' Trophy later, and the identity of this team has crumbled to dust.
This time around, it might have been accelerated just a little bit quicker with the trade for and signing of Pavel Dorofeyev, but it is unclear what kind of impact it has on the ice. Comparing it to the signing of Panarin back in 2019, the similarities are there for these two deals, and hopefully, the on-ice impact is the same.
Let's talk about it.
Comparing the franchise player and hopeful franchise player
Panarin signed with the Rangers in his prime, at 28 years old. Dorofeyev is coming to the Rangers a little bit younger, at 25 years old. The Breadman signed for $11.642 million, which was around 13% of the total salary cap when it was $81.5 million. The new guy carries and $11 million AAV (10.58%) in a salary cap era that is currently at $104 million and counting.
The stark difference here is the playmaking ability and the legacy that both players have at this particular point. Panarin came to the Rangers with years of success, and there was no doubt that he was going to be a star on Broadway. For Dorofeyev, it is a completely different story, as he has really just emerged onto the scene.
Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury might be trying to look into the crystal ball with the big-time signing of Dorofeyev, but there are only two seasons of solid goal-scoring ability to back up this very lucrative contract. If he has made the right bet, and Dorofeyev's playoff performance suggests it was a good one, Drury might have just locked up an important piece whose share of the cap will only continue to dwindle going forward.
Panarin left a very large hole to fill, and it is going to take a lot more than scoring goals from Dorofeyev to be compared. Every time the new winger steps on the ice, it has to be with the intent that the game is about to flip back into the Blueshirts' favor. He has to be an X-factor, and that must be felt from the very first shift of the 2026-27 season, because he can be the deciding factor as to whether or not they make the playoffs come April of 2027.
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