Remember when I talked about how Pavel Dorofeyev deserved to be on the Vegas Golden Knights' top line? Last season's goals leader (35) also led the team in shots (253), which should warrant a reward.
Maybe a promotion to the top line? Perhaps. After all, Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner must fire off as many pucks as possible. You need as many players in their prime (or younger) as you can get, making this group perfect.
However, there's an argument for placing him on the second unit. He still led the team in goals while playing with Tomas Hertl and Brandon Saad last season. In fact, Hertl and Dorofeyev were the two highest goal scorers from 2024-25, doing their work from the second line.
So, why not continue that magic and stay on that line? Why not have more fun with your buddies and play together until you're done? There's a good argument to be made regarding keeping him on the same line with Hertl and Saad.
In fact, statistics show that the trio should run it back one more time. So, let's look at the other side of the coin and see what makes a Dorofeyev stay on the second unit perfect.
Why the Vegas Golden Knights should run it back with Pavel Dorofeyev on the second line
Last season, Dorofeyev did a majority of his work playing on the second unit. Sure, you can point at his 13 power play goals and say his presence atop the umbrella was excellent. However, advanced statistics show how well he did with his buddies last season (statistics from MoneyPuck).
Line | xGoals % | xGoals For | xGoals Against |
|---|---|---|---|
Saad-Hertl-Dorofeyev | 61.5% | 9.9 | 6.2 |
But that's not all. The trio combined for 482 shots on goal last season with the Golden Knights, accounting for a heavy dosage of firepower. With Hertl in the slot and Saad giving it his all, it would make the unit much stronger.
Some people are putting Ivan Barbashev on the top line in this scenario. There's a reason for that: the Russian winger has spent plenty of time with Jack Eichel on the first line in recent years. However, the onus is on him to start shooting more and getting involved.
Bruce Cassidy will still change the Golden Knights lineup regardless of what happens
Let's say that Dorofeyev gets put on the top unit. The cries for needing a high-volume shooter grow so loud that Bruce Cassidy and company can't ignore them. Therefore, the 24-year-old gets his just rewards and earns his spot.
When does Cassidy return him to his old stomping grounds? That's the big question, considering the head coach doesn't shy away from making countless changes. It's likely that it'll go down after the first few weeks, should things go awry.
He won't hesitate to pull the trigger if he sees a mismatch problem with a line of Marner, Eichel, and Dorofeyev. Cassidy believes in optimizing matchups that'll benefit his team, regardless of who they face.
That could mean returning the Russian winger to his old unit with his buddies. In turn, that could also mean he gets more goals and sits atop the goals category this season.