Pavel Dorofeyev’s name missing from NHL Network’s Top 20 wings list is the kind of snub that makes summer rankings do exactly what they’re built to do: stir people up.
For Rangers fans, though, the omission lands a little differently. New York brought in Dorofeyev before the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft, and he arrives with the kind of production that should force his way into any serious conversation about the league’s best wingers right now.
The case for him is pretty straightforward. Dorofeyev has stacked together a clear upward climb: seven goals in 18 games at age 22, 13 goals in 47 games at age 23, then a breakout 2024-25 season with 35 goals and 17 assists for 52 points in 82 games. He followed that with an even bigger year, putting up 37 goals and 27 assists for 64 points in 82 regular-season games.
And he didn’t stop there. Dorofeyev added 12 goals and four assists for 16 points in 22 playoff games, with those games including time in the Stanley Cup Final. That kind of finish only sharpens the argument that he belongs among the league’s rising stars, even with his 26th birthday coming in October.
If the debate is about who should have been bumped to make room, Cutter Gauthier is the obvious comparison. Gauthier is a promising young Duck, and his numbers are eye-catching: 20 goals and 44 points in 82 games as a rookie, then 41 goals, 28 assists and 69 points in 76 games.
Still, Dorofeyev’s case comes back to the full body of work. Two straight 35-plus goal seasons, plus that playoff run, give him a stronger recent track record than a player who has done it for one season. Gauthier’s leap was impressive, but Dorofeyev has the longer stretch of proof.
The list also raises another eyebrow with Lucas Raymond sitting behind Gauthier. Raymond has 330 points in 400 games over five seasons, and his last three seasons have produced 72 points, 80 points and 76 points. That looks like a more established resume than Gauthier’s at this point.
In the end, though, this is still a listicle built to fuel a little summer argument. Former Ranger Artemi Panarin checked in at No. 12, while the player seen as his replacement wasn’t ranked at all.
It may irritate fans, but it’s not something worth losing sleep over. These rankings exist to create debate, and in this case, they did their job.
In Other News...
Rangers Prospects Are Giving Fans A Reason To Feel Better
A fresh look at the Rangers farm system offers a more encouraging picture than fans have been used to seeing. NHL prospects expert Steven Ellis ranked New Yorks top 10 prospects heading into the 2026-27 season and saw a pipeline that has improved, even if it still lacks the kind of elite, cant-miss talent that changes a franchises outlook overnight. Still, the names near the top give the organization something to point to, with Alberts Smits, Liam Greentree, Malcolm Spence and Cole Beaudoin all drawing notice for different reasons.
Ellis broader read on the group is what should matter most to Rangers followers. He thinks roughly seven of these prospects could grow into NHL players over the next three to four years, which would be a meaningful step for a system that has spent too long looking thin. The big question now is less about whether help is coming and more about which of these young players can separate themselves enough to become real pieces in New York, not just bodies in the pipeline. [Read more 🡒]
Chris Drury Now Faces A Rangers Gamble He Has To Prove
The Rangers decision to move Artemi Panarin to the Kings and bring back Pavel Dorofeyev from Vegas was always going to be judged on one simple standard: whether the club could replace high-end wing production without taking a step backward. Panarin signed a two-year deal in Los Angeles, while Dorofeyev got the long-term commitment from New York, giving Chris Drury a reshaped depth chart and a clear bet that the incoming winger can help cover a major offensive loss.
The early external evaluation did not flatter the Rangers gamble. NHL Network placed Panarin among the leagues elite wings, while none of New Yorks current options, Dorofeyev included, cracked the top 20. For a team trying to stay in the mix, that gap turns this into more than a simple roster swap. It becomes a proof test for Drury, who is now asking a new face to help carry the kind of production Panarin once supplied. [Read more 🡒]