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The New York Rangers were able to hold onto their No. 5 overall pick and still trade for Pavel Dorofeyev on Friday night.
It's a win for the Rangers, but also works out pretty well for the Vegas Golden Knights despite giving up the goal-scoring winger.
The cost was the 2026 No. 26 and No. 92 picks, as well as a conditional 2028 first-rounder.
The Rangers signed Dorofeyev to a seven-year contract after the trade.
MORE: What the Gavin McKenna pick means for the Maple Leafs
Why did the Rangers trade for Pavel Dorofeyev?
They wanted a young goal scorer, and that's what they got.
"It cost New York three draft picks to complete the deal, including two first-rounders, but getting it done without surrendering No. 5 overall allowed team president Chris Drury to snag defenseman prospect Alberts Šmits shortly after the Dorofeyev trade news broke," The Athletic's Vincent Z. Mercogliano wrote on Friday night. "In a matter of minutes, the Rangers added two building blocks to a roster that’s been lacking them in recent years. Dorofeyev will join fellow 25-and-under forwards Alexis Lafrenière and Gabe Perreault in a top six that suddenly has a jolt of offensive potential."
New York still might look to trade Vincent Trocheck and get younger, but they're shifting their timeline positively by acquiring a player like Dorofeyev for the long haul.
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Why did the Golden Knights trade away Pavel Dorofeyev?
The money simply wasn't going to add up in the long run for Vegas, which has a top-heavy cap sheet.
Dorofeyev is a restricted free agent, and this move allowed the Golden Knights to recoup solid value for a player they weren't likely to pay.
A slightly inconsistent playoffs probably didn't help Dorofeyev's cause, but this is less about his talent and more about how it fits within the NHL's salary cap rules for both the Golden Knights and Rangers.
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