Pavel Dorofeyev had spent plenty of time in the Tri-State Area before he put pen to paper on a seven-year, $77 million deal with the Rangers last month.
Since beginning his transition into a full-time NHL role in 2022, the Russian wing has trained with Ben Prentiss in Stamford, Conn., alongside many other NHLers and a multitude of Rangers.
The familiarity he already has not only with Manhattan, but also with some of his new Blueshirts teammates, should help Dorofeyev settle into his new team after experiencing his first ever trade from Vegas.
To also have his lucrative contract signed and sealed, Dorofeyev is free to focus entirely on hockey as he begins this new chapter of his young career.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s a great thing,” he said about his new deal in his first interview as a Ranger on a Zoom call from Russia Friday morning. “But I’ve been around the area for the past year. It’s great to be a Ranger. I’m thankful for the whole organization that they believed in me and they traded for me.”
Crediting his agent, Rick Komarow, for setting him with Prentiss, Dorofeyev reveled in the fact that he ended up signing a long-term contract around the same area he was spending his offseasons training in.
For some 25-year-old’s in the league, the jump to a new team, a new state and a new market can be overwhelming.
But Dorofeyev’s seemed unfazed by the acclimation process he is sure to go through as training camp inches closer.
Coming off a career season (37 goals, 27 assists in 82 games) and a strong playoff showing (12 goals, 16 points in 22 games), Dorofeyev will be at least partially charged with replacing the lost production of perennial leading scorer Artemi Panarin.
“Obviously, it feels great, but I don’t plan to stop,” Dorofeyev said of where his game is at. “I still have time to get better at certain points of my game, and usually I’m just focused on the game, not trying to beat myself.”
The expectation is that Dorofeyev will slot into the top six and onto one of the two power play units.
Setting career highs with 20 power-play goals and 30 power-play points, Dorofeyev can certainly bolster what was already a top-five power play in the NHL last season.
Asked if he felt any pressure to help lead the Rangers through this retool, Dorofeyev reveled in that, too.
“I think pressure is kind of a privilege,” he said. “I’ve been dealing with pressure all my life. I’m just looking forward to join the team and do my best helping any way I can.”
