All the talk surrounding a potential contract extension with Pavel Dorofeyev was thrown out the window on Friday. Per Darren Dreger of TSN, the Russian winger was traded to the New York Rangers during the NHL Draft.
Dorofeyev traded to NYR.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 26, 2026
Per SinBin.Vegas, Dorofeyev's camp was demanding much more than the Golden Knights were willing to spend. It makes the trade more sensible since Vegas only has $4.625 million in cap space (sans Alex Pietrangelo's season-ending LTIR designation) to work with.
In return, the Golden Knights get the 26th overall pick along with the 92nd overall pick. They also added a conditional 2028 first-round pick from the Rangers (top-10 protected), adding more draft capital to their repertoire.
This past season, the 25-year-old led the Golden Knights in goals scored with 37. He also added 12 during the Stanley Cup Final run, saving the Golden Knights from being eliminated in the first round.
What does Pavel Dorofeyev going to the New York Rangers mean for the Vegas Golden Knights?
First, it swings the door wide open for a Rasmus Andersson contract extension. The defenseman was the other Golden Knights star needing an extension in the offseason. Now that Dorofeyev's potential deal is off the books, that gives the Swedish Olympian the floor in getting his deal done.
That also opens the door for a potential Dylan Larkin deal. Now, the Golden Knights have some draft capital they can add to a potential deal, sweetening the pot for Red Wings general manager Steven Yzerman. Of course, this isn't limited to Larkin since there are other viable trade options (think Zach Werenski and Connor Hellebuyck).
Finally, Vegas can add some depth to the mix. The Golden Knights have numerous outgoing unrestricted free agents heading into the offseason, including Reilly Smith, Colton Sissons, and Jeremy Lauzon. Now, the Golden Knights can use incoming the salary cap space to fill spots with solid pieces and sign depth pieces.
Yes, it's tough to get rid of a young winger who made the power play much better. How are you replacing a franchise-record 20 power play goals? But the Golden Knights didn't have much of a choice here. Therefore, it was sink or swim with a trade to the Rangers.
UPDATE: Pierre LeBrun confirms that the New York Rangers extended Dorofeyev to a seven-year deal worth $11 million AAV.
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