The Vegas Golden Knights were involved in the most surprising moment during the first day of the NHL Draft, sending top goal scorer Pavel Dorofeyev to the New York Rangers on Friday.
Trade details
Rangers receive: RW Pavel Dorofeyev
Knights receive: No. 26 pick, No. 92 pick, 2028 first-round pick (top-10 protected)
Reaction to the trade
The NHL Draft wasn’t 30 minutes old when the Knights made their biggest move of the summer to this point.
Moving on from your leading goal scorer — 72 over the past two seasons — is a bold choice, until you see that the Rangers are reportedly signing Dorofeyev to a seven-year, $77 million contract in the process.
The Knights were not going to touch $11 million per year on the restricted free agent. New York is making Dorofeyev their second-highest paid player, trailing only goaltender Igor Shesterkin.
To turn Dorofeyev’s signing rights into two first-round picks and a third was a nice bit of business for general manager Kelly McCrimmon. He added a fourth-round pick on Saturday, and added a third-round pick next year in the process.
There’s a glaring need to replace a top-six goal scorer and top power-play option, but the Knights can now focus on other areas of need heading into free agency on Wednesday. That includes a new contract for defenseman Rasmus Andersson.
Grade: A-
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
