Pavel Dorofeyev Contract Shockingly Predicted To Be Bad for NY Rangers Long-Term

Recently, the contract of Pavel Dorofeyev was predicted to be a bad one for the New York Rangers.

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 have had a very busy offseason, and there is a lot of talk about what the outlook for the team is going to be going forward. 

After two straight years of missing the playoffs, the Rangers were a team that had a lot of areas to address this summer. Fortunately, New York did have a good amount of draft capital and cap space to make improvements, and on paper this team does look much better. 

There was a lot of discussion about how the retool for Chris Drury would look this offseason. Early on, there was understandably some concern when some of the star players like Dylan Larkin and Brady Tkachuk didn’t have New York on their preferred trade destinations. 

The Rangers have been a team that has rarely struggled when it comes to pursuing star talent, but the roster got to a point that it was a bit undesirable. 

Fortunately, with a strong offseason and a good draft, New York does appear to be heading in the right direction. While this was never going to be a one-summer fix, the Rangers seemingly had a plan to improve and get better for the future as well, and that balance is challenging. 

Recently, one of the major moves that the team did make was put under some scrutiny. 

Lyle Richardson of Bleacher Report recently wrote about five contracts that will be nightmares by 2030. For the Rangers, Pavel Dorofeyev’s deal was shockingly mentioned as one of the choices. 

Dorofeyev Contract Isn’t Bad

Jun 4, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Vegas Golden Knights right wing Pavel Dorofeyev (16) battles for the puck against Carolina Hurricanes center Logan Stankoven (22) during the second period in game two of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It is pretty shocking to see that the Dorofeyev contract is being listed here, with the 25-year-old coming off a 37-goal season. Furthermore, with it being his second straight year being over 30 goals, the young winger is clearly blossoming into a true scorer in the league. 

With the salary cap continuing to go up, the $11 million per season isn’t going to be a bad number either for a player of that caliber. Also making the list was Alex Tuch for the Washington Capitals. 

Tuch is also a proven scorer in the league, but is five years older than Dorofeyev and also hasn’t reached the same marks in goals scored as the new forward for the Rangers. 

Come 2030, Dorofeyev is still going to be in his prime and will be a key piece for the franchise. Furthermore, with the salary cap not going down in the NHL, this number should be one that the Rangers are very comfortable with.