The New York Rangers are entering the 2026-27 season with a new No. 1 winger on their depth chart, and it is a fresh face they hope will be a critical part of the organization's return to relevance. The addition of Pavel Dorofeyev, a savvy addition prior to Round 1 of the 2026 NHL Draft, received acclaim at the time, but a recent listicle by NHL Network leaves no question to how he's currently perceived.
While there's always going to be players left off a list, should Rangers fans be up in arms of Dorofeyev's omission?
Dorofeyev should have been included among NHL Network's Top 20
Whenever an outlet releases a list like this, there's generally a focus on what a player has done lately. There are always going to be spots reserved for the top-end proven performers, and those players who have done it over an extended period are often given a little extra leeway.
What is important to consider about Dorofeyev is that he's a bit of a rising star in the league, and this most recent season was an improvement from the breakout campaign he had the year prior for Vegas.
Dorofeyev's progression has been quite impressive, and it has been clear that he's a really talented goal scorer. He scored seven goals in 18 games at age 22, he scored 13 goals in 47 games at age 23, and the 2024-25 season was his breakout in which he finished with 35 goals and 17 assists for 52 points in 82 games. This year he took things to a new level with 37 goals and 27 assists for 64 points in 82 games in the regular season.
On top of that, Dorofeyev scored 12 goals and added four helpers for 16 points in 22 playoff games that included time in the Stanley Cup Final. With his recent stretch of play and performance in the playoffs in mind, Dorofeyev should be considered an up-and-coming star, even though he will turn 26 in October.
Who should come out to make room for Dorofeyev?
That being said, I think you can make an argument that Dorofeyev should be on this list right now, likely over Cutter Gauthier.
Introducing NHL Network's list of the Top 20 Wings Right Now! #NHLTopPlayers pic.twitter.com/UknQLJfkbp
— NHL Media (@NHLMedia) August 3, 2026
This is not to take anything away from Gauthier who is a very exciting young player for the Ducks, but it feels like you want to see him put up another elite season first. His rookie season saw him finish with 20 goals and 44 points in 82 games which is pretty impressive. He followed that up with 41 goals, 28 assists, and 69 points in 76 games.
If you are primarily looking at a two year sample, is Dorofeyev's 35-goal campaign, followed up by a 37-goal campaign along with 12 goals in the playoffs not more impressive? Scoring 41 goals a year after scoring 20 is an accomplishment, but I go back to thought of wanting to see him do it again first.
As an aside, it also felt weird seeing Lucas Raymond behind Gauthier. In 400 games over five seasons, Raymond has 330 points. On top of that, in the last three seasons he's finished with 72 points, 80 points, and 76 points which feels more impressive than what Gauthier has done.
Again... I like Gauthier's potential and think his up tick in scoring was awesome. But who's to say that he will be able to maintain that level of production year over year? In the case of Dorofeyev, and Raymond, you can see how the player has progressed and gotten better.
At the end of the day, this is just another random listicle. It may annoy fans that former Ranger Artemi Panarin was ranked No. 12 and his assumed replacement went unranked, but there's no reason to lose sleep. These lists are often made to create debate during the summer months when nothing else is going on, and given that I've written a story about it... I guess you can say their plan worked.
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