Rangers acquire Golden Knights' Pavel Dorofeyev

The Vegas Golden Knights traded their leading goal scorer, forward Pavel Dorofeyev, to the New York Rangers on Friday, the first day of the NHL Draft. The move was the most prominent in a flurry of transactions as teams reshaped their rosters ahead of the start of free agency next week.

Vegas sent the restricted free agent's rights to New York in exchange for the No. 26 overall pick in this year's draft, the No. 92 pick, and a conditional first-round selection in 2028 that is top-10 protected. The Rangers are reportedly signing Dorofeyev to a seven-year contract worth $77 million, which would make him the team's second-highest-paid player behind goaltender Igor Shesterkin.

Dorofeyev, 25, is coming off a career-best season in which he scored 37 goals and added 27 assists. He was a key contributor during the Golden Knights' run to the Stanley Cup Final, leading the NHL playoffs with 58 shots and five power-play goals while scoring 12 times in 22 games. The trade signals a significant shift for Vegas, which recently parted ways with head coach John Tortorella and now faces the task of replacing a top-six scorer and power-play option.

For the Rangers, acquiring Dorofeyev represents a...