NY Rangers Correctly Receive Strong Grade for Long-Term Signing of Pavel Dorofeyev

The New York Rangers have rightfully received a strong long-term grade for the signing of Pavel Dorofeyev.

Jun 4, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Vegas Golden Knights right wing Pavel Dorofeyev (16) warms up before a game against the Carolina Hurricanes in game two of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Rangers are getting set for the start of training camp soon, and expectations will be higher for the franchise this coming season. 

It was not a good campaign for the Rangers last year, and the goal of the summer was to improve. New York came into the offseason with a lot of cap space and some good draft capital. 

This combination figured to be a good one for the team to improve, and that ended up being the case. While the free agency class wasn’t an overly strong one, the Rangers were able to improve on the trade market and also added a lot of young talent in the NHL Draft. 

Even though the team would have liked to be higher than fifth overall, they still got a talented player in Alberts Smits, who could be on the blueline for the team on Opening Night. However, of all the moves they made, one of them was really the big splash this summer. 

Adam Gretz of Bleacher Report recently wrote about grades for every long-term signing so far this offseason. For the Rangers, their big long-term commitment came with Pavel Dorofeyev after they acquired him from the Vegas Golden Knights. Rightfully, they received a grade of an ‘A’ for their efforts. 

Dorofeyev Signing Was a Good Choice

Jun 2, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jalen Chatfield (5) battles for the puck against Vegas Golden Knights right wing Pavel Dorofeyev (16) during the second period in game one of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With a desperate need to improve in the scoring department, the Rangers pulling off the trade for Dorofeyev should help with that. At just 25 years old, he is emerging as a really talented goal scorer in the league, and New York will be excited to see what he can do. 

As a restricted free agent when the Rangers traded for him, the plan was always to lock him up long-term after giving the Knights two first-round picks. The Rangers locked up the talented winger to a seven-year deal at $77 million for an average annual salary of $11 million per season. 

While being over $10 million sounds like a lot, the salary cap going up has moved contracts for good players well over this number. The Rangers are getting a 25-year-old who is coming off two straight years of 30+ goals and is entering his prime years. 

Overall, this feels like a great signing by the team and one that they should have received a strong grade for. As the salary cap continues to rise in the NHL and Dorofeyev enters more of his prime years, this deal will only look better.