Pavel Dorofeyev was supposed to be the big swing of the offseason for Chris Drury and the New York Rangers. He came at a real cost in both assets and money, and the expectation was obvious from the jump: New York wanted a scorer who could become the next big name in the lineup.
Instead, the early returns have been messy. Dorofeyev has already rung up more posts than anyone wants to count, he’s been shuffled around the lineup in search of traction, and the noise around his slow start is only getting louder. It’s still far too early to stamp a verdict on how he’ll look in New York, but the rough opening has made the bigger issue impossible to ignore.
The Rangers may have spent their offseason capital on the wrong priority.
That doesn’t mean the Dorofeyev move was a mistake in a vacuum. He’s a young, dangerous goal scorer, and New York badly needed more offense. On paper, the trade made sense, and even with the sticker shock attached to the deal and the contract, the price was reasonable enough for what the Rangers were getting.
But the roster problem staring the Rangers in the face is at center, not on the wing.
That’s where the real urgency should have been. Young centers are hard to find, but that’s the position New York needs most and keeps failing to solve.
Mika Zibanejad is still a solid first-line center, though he’s getting older and there’s no guarantee his game won’t slip before long. JT Miller works as a second-line center, and he’d be even better if he were pushed down to the third line.
Noah Laba profiles as a decent third-line center and would fit better as a fourth-line option. If Zibanejad or Miller misses time, the middle of the ice could fall apart fast.
That’s why the Dorofeyev move feels like a luxury purchase when the Rangers needed a survival plan.
The issue isn’t that New York shouldn’t want Dorofeyev. It’s that the assets used to land him might have been better saved for a young center, especially because the Rangers now don’t have the first-round picks or the prospect depth to make a truly strong offer if one becomes available later.
There is at least some relief on the wing. Alexis Lafreniere is on fire, Gabe Perreault is here to stay, and Oliver Bjorkstrand looks like a strong fit in the group.
Dorofeyev adds more scoring punch, but the Rangers probably could have lived without him if those same resources had gone toward a center. And if they had landed that kind of player, Zibanejad or Miller could have slid to the wing, giving the roster a cleaner balance.
Right now, New York is one injury at center away from things getting ugly in a hurry. Dorofeyev will still be a valuable goal scorer for this team, but he looks more like a luxury than a necessity.
Maybe the center market simply never gave the Rangers a real opening. Even so, until that hole is filled, they’re skating on thin ice.
In Other News...
Oilers Could Arrive Shorthanded For Rangers After Early Injury Scare
The Rangers may catch a break on the schedule with Edmonton dealing with an early injury scare from Isaac Howard, who went down after a knee-on-knee collision against the New York Islanders and needed assistance getting off the ice. For a moment, it looked like the Oilers might be facing a much bigger problem, but head coach Mike Babcock said the injury is not as serious as first feared, which at least eased the immediate concern around the winger.
Even so, Howard is expected to miss the upcoming game against the Rangers while the Oilers continue to sort through his status and adjust their lineup. Edmonton is already considering different options to fill the opening, and how it handles that spot will be worth watching for a team trying to keep its forward group intact through a busy stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Sullivan Is Already Facing The Rangers Pressure Test
Mike Sullivan arrives behind the Rangers bench with the kind of rsum that usually buys a coach some patience, but New York rarely offers much of that. He steps in after Peter Laviolettes exit, inheriting a team that has already gone through a difficult first season, a front office reset under Chris Drury and the sort of retool language that signals expectations are still very much alive. Even before a full training camp has settled in, Sullivan is being asked to shape a roster that has been trying to find its footing while carrying the weight that comes with coaching in this market.
The early read is encouraging enough to make the job even more interesting. The Rangers have improved after a season in which injuries and inconsistency could have sent them backward, and Sullivan has already had to adjust his approach to fit the realities of New York pressure. With the team still in the thick of the race, the challenge is no longer just about installing a system. It is about proving that the new voice can steady a group that has to perform while everything around it keeps asking for more. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Face A Brutal Test As Lineup Questions Linger Out Of Break
The break is over, and the schedule does not exactly ease the Rangers back in. They open a demanding eight-game stretch in 16 days Sunday at Madison Square Garden against Edmonton, a matchup that immediately asks a lot of a team trying to settle back into rhythm after time off. The Oilers arrive with Connor McDavid and the leagues highest-scoring attack, while New York is still sorting through some uncertainty on the back end because of injuries and illness among its defensemen.
Dylan Garand is set to start in goal, giving the Rangers another look at a netminder who has been thrust into a heavy workload since Igor Shesterkin went down with a season-ending knee injury. Edmonton is expected to counter with Matt Tomkins, but the bigger issue for New York is how its lineup holds up against a top-tier opponent when the blue line is not fully settled. For a team trying to navigate a brutal run of games, Sunday feels like an early stress test. [Read more 🡒]