Rangers acquire Pavel Dorofeyev from Golden Knights for draft picks

The New York Rangers acquired forward Pavel Dorofeyev from the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday in exchange for two first-round picks and a third rounder.

TSN hockey insider Darren Dreger was the first to report the trade, just minutes into the 2026 NHL Entry Draft at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y.

Dreger’s TSN colleague Chris Johnston reported soon after that Vegas would receive the No. 26 overall pick in Friday’s draft, a 2026 third-round pick and a conditional 2028 first-round pick that’s top-10 protected.

Last season, Dorofeyev scored 37 goals and added 27 assists for 64 points with the Golden Knights.

Dorofeyev, who is coming off a Stanley Cup Final-run that saw him scored 12 goals and 16 points in 22 games, is a restricted free agent and will need a new contract. He is coming off a two-year contract that paid him $1.835 million annually.

Across parts of five NHL seasons, the 25-year-old has scored 92 goals and recorded 57 assists for 149 points in 231 career regular-season games. He also has 13 goals and five assists for 18 points in 31 career Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Dorofeyev has also played in parts of three AHL seasons with Vegas’ minor-league affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights, where he’s recorded 45 goals and 37 assists for 82 points in 119 career games.