The Rangers’ recent skid has forced some lineup shuffling, but one move stands out as the kind New York can’t let linger.
With the team entering a mini-break after its third straight loss and first home defeat, the focus shifts quickly to Sunday’s matchup with the Edmonton Oilers. That’s no easy reset, either, with Connor McDavid rolling at an historic pace to begin the season. And with Igor Shesterkin sidelined, the Rangers have leaned hard on Dylan Garand, who has been thrust into a major role sooner than expected.
There’s been plenty of movement up front and on the blue line during this stretch, and one adjustment has been especially surprising: Pavel Dorofeyev landing on the third line. He’s been skating with Noah Laba and Will Cuylle for the last game and a half, and while that trio has shown some effectiveness, it’s not the right long-term spot for a player New York clearly brought in to change games.
Dorofeyev didn’t arrive as a depth piece. The Rangers paid a steep price for him, sending two first-round picks to the Knights in a massive trade before signing him to a seven-year, $77 million extension. That kind of investment comes with a clear expectation: production.
And Dorofeyev has the résumé to match it. Over the previous two seasons with the Golden Knights, he scored at least 30 goals in each year.
That’s the profile of a legitimate top-line threat, especially at just 25 years old. New York needs that version of him, not a muted version buried on the third line.
He’s already spent time on both the first and second lines, and that’s where he needs to be again. If the Rangers want him to become the goal scorer they’re counting on this season, he has to be playing in the top six.
The cleanest path is to slot him next to either Mika Zibanejad or J.T. Miller.
Laba, at 23, is still working through his development as an NHL center, and there’s value in having a player like Dorofeyev alongside him. But the bigger priority is obvious: New York needs its biggest offseason acquisition driving offense in the top six, where he can actually deliver on the expectations that came with the deal.
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James Reimer was making his Rangers debut and immediately became part of the nights storyline, with the club facing a goaltending conversation it probably did not anticipate this soon. New York still got offensive contributions, including from Artemi Panarin, but Darcy Kuempers 22 saves helped Los Angeles keep control, leaving the Rangers to sort out where the crease picture goes from here. [Read more 🡒]