Golden Knights trade leading goal scorer to New York Rangers for 3 draft picks

The Vegas Golden Knights were quiet on the transaction front during last year’s NHL Draft. They were loud this year.

The Knights addressed a pressing need prior to free agency opening on Wednesday with a stunner, trading top goal scorer Pavel Dorofeyev to the New York Rangers on Friday.

Dorofeyev, who was a pending restricted free agent, will sign a seven-year, $77 million contract ($11 million average annual value) with the Rangers, according to multiple reports.

The Knights got a decent haul in return — the No. 26 pick in Friday’s first round, No. 92 in the third round, and a top-10 protected first-round pick in 2028.

They didn’t have a first-round pick when Friday began. That belonged to the Calgary Flames as part of the trade for Noah Hanifin back in March 2024.

The Knights didn’t hang on to the 26th pick for long. They traded down twice — once with Montreal, then again with Anaheim — to land at No. 29, where they selected Finnish defenseman Juho Piiparinen.

Piiparinen, 17, is a 6-foot-2 blue liner who has been described as a sound athlete who makes smart reads in the defensive zone.

He’s the first defenseman the Knights have taken in the first round since Erik Brannstrom at 15th overall in 2017.

The Knights turned that first-round pick into a 2027 third-round pick from the Canadiens, and No. 117 in this draft from the Ducks.

Pavel’s payday

It’s a well-deserved contract for Dorofeyev, who became one of the franchise’s rare development success stories. It was also too rich for what the Knights were going to do.

AFP Analytics projected Dorofeyev to come in at a six-year extension worth approximately $8.98 million per year. The Rangers obliterated that and made him their second-highest paid player behind goaltender Igor Shesterkin.

Dorofeyev, the 25-year-old from Russia, was a third-round pick of the Knights back in 2019. He became a full-time player in 2025 and turned into one of the Knights’ most important offensive players.

Dorofeyev scored 72 of his 92 career goals the past two seasons, which is 15th most in the league. He scored a career-high 37 this year to go along with 64 points — 20 of those goals came on the power play.

The playoffs are where Dorofeyev cashed in most, scoring 12 goals during the Knights’ run to the Stanley Cup Final.

That included a hat trick in Game 5 of the first round against the Utah Mammoth, and his first playoff overtime goal against the Anaheim Ducks in Game 5 of the second round.

Dorofeyev showed improvement in other areas away from the puck to become a more well-rounded player. That kind of trajectory was good enough for the Rangers to invest their future in him.

What’s next?

The Knights cashed in where they could. There’s now a massive gap in their top six and their top power play unit.

Dorofeyev was the Knights’ true goal scorer. They now need to find other avenues in addressing those needs.

The Knights have $99.375 million committed to nine forwards, five defensemen and two goaltenders. They’ll have $13.425 million in cap space once Alex Pietrangelo goes back on long-term injured reserve.

That space likely goes to a new contract for defenseman Rasmus Andersson before the unrestricted free agent hits the market on Wednesday.

But this opens a door of possibilities, even those that seem farfetched. That includes the top restricted free agent available, Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson.

As of Friday, there was no indication the Knights would take a swing at the three-time 40-goal scorer.

Sportsnet reported Thursday that the Stars and Seattle Kraken had framework on a deal to send Robertson to Seattle for draft picks. Robertson turned down an eight-year deal from the Kraken that would have paid him $15 million per year.

Never say never, but it’s the Knights. Nothing can ever be ruled out, especially if Robertson has the choice of where he wants to go.