The New York Rangers paid a steep price to bring in Pavel Dorofeyev, and the early returns have been more about process than payoff.
New York acquired the winger from the Vegas Golden Knights in a blockbuster offseason move that cost three draft picks, including two first-rounders. The Rangers then committed to him long term with a seven-year extension worth $11 million per year. That kind of investment comes with big expectations, especially for a player brought in to score.
So far, the goals haven’t piled up. Dorofeyev has just two in 12 games, a slow start compared with the past two seasons, when he scored 35 and then 37. Still, the Rangers have reasons to stay patient because his overall play has remained strong even if the finish hasn’t shown up yet.
As Harman Dayal and Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic wrote in this week’s NHL power rankings, “On the one hand, Pavel Dorofeyev is paid to score and his two-goal start isn’t going to cut it. On the other hand, one of the knocks on him was that he didn’t do much else but score and so far he’s showing some ability to push play forward with a 55 percent xG rate. The goals will come as long as he keeps the solid underlying play up,”
That’s the key for New York right now. Dorofeyev is still creating danger, even if the puck hasn’t been going in at the rate anyone expected. He led the Rangers with 5.7 expected goals, according to Money Puck, with Alexis Lafreniere next on the team at 4.6.
There’s also reason to believe the scoring will catch up. Dorofeyev has missed a few chances he probably expects to bury, and some of his attempts have clanged off the post.
His current shooting percentage sits at 5.4%, which would be a career-low by a wide margin. For a player who has shot 14.3% for his career, that number looks due for correction.
His profile hasn’t changed much, though the setting has. With Vegas, Dorofeyev flourished alongside Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner.
That kind of support isn’t there in New York, and an adjustment period was always part of the deal. Even so, his left-handed shot still plays, and his work on special teams has been a real calling card, with 33 power-play goals over the last two seasons combined.
The impact is showing in more subtle ways, too. New York’s two best Corsi For percentages among forward lines both include Dorofeyev, a sign that the Rangers are driving play effectively when he’s on the ice.
He may not be stuffing the box score yet, but the chances are there. If Dorofeyev keeps generating that level of offense, the Rangers are betting the goals will arrive soon enough.
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Rangers Have An Oliver Bjorkstrand Problem They'd Love To Solve
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Mike Sullivan has made it clear he wants to get Bjorkstrand on the ice more often, and the Rangers are looking at different ways to make that happen without creating another hole elsewhere. The addition of Luke Glendening was meant to help steady the center depth after Joe Veleno's injury, but it also adds another layer to the lineup puzzle as the Rangers try to balance veterans, depth needs and the best way to use one of their most productive scorers. [Read more 🡒]