The Vegas Golden Knights made a significant trade very early on during the first round of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, sending forward Pavel Dorofeyev to the New York Rangers in exchange for three draft picks.
Vegas did not receive the Rangers’ top pick (No. 5 overall), instead landing the No. 26 pick in this year’s draft as well as a 2026 third-round pick (No. 92) and a conditional 2028 first-round pick, which is top-10 protected.
The Golden Knights went on to complete two more trades during the draft, moving the No. 26 pick to Montreal in exchange for No. 28 and a 2027 third-round pick. Vegas then traded No. 28 to Anaheim for No. 29 and a 2026 fourth-round pick (No. 117).
The Golden Knights selected defenseman Juho Piiparinen at No. 29.
Dorofeyev was set to become a restricted free agent on July 1. The risk that another team might sign him to an offer sheet certainly was a factor, and it’s clear that Vegas wasn’t able to agree to terms on an extension.
After the completion of the trade, the Rangers signed Dorofeyev to a seven-year, $77 million contract, which carries an average annual value of $11 million.
The 25-year-old native of Nizhny Tagil, Russia was the Golden Knights’ most successful homegrown talent after being selected in the third round (No. 79 overall) of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.
Dorofeyev is a sniper and power-play specialist who led the team in goals in each of the last two seasons, netting a career-high 37 this year after scoring 34 in 2024-25. He also set career highs in assists (27), points (64), power-play goals (20) and power-play points (30) this season.
Dorofeyev went on to score 12 goals in Vegas’ Stanley Cup run, which ended in six games against the Carolina Hurricanes. Notably, he scored the overtime game-winning goal in Game 5 against Anaheim.
He was particularly effective in Game 5’s, scoring a hat trick against Utah, two goals (including the game-winner) against Anaheim and two goals in Game 5 against Carolina.
However, aside from those two goals in Game 5 in the Cup Final, Dorofeyev was goalless in eight of the final nine playoff games.
Dorofeyev finishes his Vegas career with 92 goals and 149 points in 231 regular-season games as well as 13 goals and 18 points in 31 postseason matchups, with 16 of those 18 coming in the 2026 run.
The Golden Knights could have waited to see if other, better offers materialized. If Vegas had lost Dorofeyev to an unmatched offer sheet for less than $9,551,332 million a year, Vegas would have received a first, second and third in 2027 as compensation.
The Golden Knights must have other plans in mind considering they are losing the team’s most dependable goal-scorer. Not surprisingly, rumors have linked Vegas to several of the top players available on the trade market. At the end of the day, Vegas took the opportunity to restock the cupboard by accumulating five draft picks, including two firsts, two thirds and a fourth.
The Golden Knights — who forfeited their 2026 second-round pick after violating the NHL’s media policy following Game 6 of the second round against Anaheim — have six more selections in this year’s draft, including two third-round picks and one in each of the other four rounds:
Round 3: No. 92, No. 95
Round 4: No. 117
Round 5: No. 159
Round 6: No. 191
Round 7: No. 223
Day 2 of the NHL Draft is set to begin Saturday morning at 8 a.m. PT and will be televised on NHL Network and ESPN+.
Photo courtesy of the Golden Knights