The Vegas Golden Knights parted ways with homegrown forward Pavel Dorofeyev on Friday, trading him to the New York Rangers in a move dictated entirely by salary cap constraints.
General manager Kelly McCrimmon acknowledged the difficulty of losing a player who developed within the organization and had emerged as the team’s leading goal scorer over the past two seasons. Dorofeyev, 25, is expected to sign a seven-year, $77 million contract with the Rangers.
“We’re tremendously proud of him,” McCrimmon said Saturday. “(The contract) is well-earned, but it just puts us in a situation where it can’t be accommodated here.”
Dorofeyev, a third-round pick in 2019, scored a career-high 37 goals last season and has 72 goals over the last two years. The Knights now face the challenge of replacing that production while managing a tight salary cap.
The trade was completed before free agency opened, allowing the Knights to avoid the risk of an offer sheet. McCrimmon said he did not anticipate an offer sheet at $11 million average annual value, which would have yielded two first-round picks, a second, and a third. Instead, Vegas acquired the 26th pick from the Rangers, then traded down twice to obtain a third-round pick next year from Montreal and a fourth-round pick from Anaheim.
“I think that we did better with the trade the way that it unfolded than it would have to wait,” McCrimmon said. “The other aspect of that is we’ve gained a year. We had a first-round selection on Friday, and we turned that into a couple more picks. We’re on our way with that process.”
The Knights will have just over $13 million in cap space once defenseman Alex Pietrangelo goes on season-ending long-term injured reserve. Between $8 million and $9 million of that is expected to go toward re-signing defenseman Rasmus Andersson.
Vegas also has eight unrestricted free agents to address before free agency opens Wednesday, including goaltending decisions on restricted free agent Akira Schmid and whether to move on from Stanley Cup champion Adin Hill.
“We wish (Dorofeyev) the very best,” McCrimmon said. “I think he’s going to do great in his new opportunity in New York.”
