Last season, Jonathan Marchessault shocked the Vegas Golden Knights (and the hockey world) by scoring a team-leading 42 goals. He was in a contract year and jumped on plenty of "golden" scoring opportunities. Now? He's in Nashville riding a mechanical bull before every Predators game. Yeehaw!
Now, the mantle for the leading goal-scorer is open. Pavel Dorofeyev is eyeing the throne with a team-high nine goals. That includes a game-winning third-period goal against the Anaheim Ducks.
"Rebound — score! Pavel Dorofeyev!
— Golden Knights Radio (@VGKRadioNetwork) November 14, 2024
"The Knights have a 3-1 lead!
🎙 @Dan_DUva
Dorofeyev adds an insurance marker for Vegas in the final frame. pic.twitter.com/IJkeulvf09
The insurance goal came off his own rebound, where Dorofeyev stuffed it past Lukas Dostal. It's an example of the net-crashing the Russian winger has done this season, giving him more goals than expected.
In fact, those nine goals are good enough to be tied for 13th in the NHL. The 24-year-old is on pace for 46 goals, which would be a team record. Considering how well the winger has done so far, it wouldn't be surprising to see him break the mark.
However, that also requires being the team leader this season. There's another Russian winger looking to break that mark as well. His name? Ivan Barbashev, who already has eight goals this season
Will Dorofeyev beat out his fellow Russian for the top spot? Or will Barbashev reign supreme? Perhaps there's another big name that could take the mantle for the Golden Knights. Whatever the case, here are some reasons why the Russian star will (and won't) lead the team in goals this season.
Why Pavel Dorofeyev will lead the Vegas Golden Knights in goals
Last season, Pavel Dorofeyev scored 13 goals in 47 games. That's good for a 22.68 goal pace in an 82-game season. This season, those projections have more than doubled, giving fans reason to believe he'll lead the team by season's end.
There's good reason for that, too. The 24-year-old protects the puck well and pulls off some insane handles. He's also persistent in front of the net, going after any puck for a stuff-in. His third-period goal against the Ducks is a perfect example: he got his own rebound for a goal.
He's also a big body who's hard to knock off the puck. He's 6'1" and has bulked up to 194 lbs. in the past couple of years, making him a scoring threat. Combine that with fantastic offensive moves and shiftiness and the winger is a massive problem.
Dorofeyev might not benefit from having Jack Eichel and Mark Stone on his line. However, he makes up for this in resourcefulness, doing whatever it takes to score key goals. That could lead to him leading the Golden Knights in goals by season's end, elevating his game once more.