As news of Pavel Dorofeyev’s draft-night trade to the New York Rangers made the rounds, his phone flooded with well wishes. One of the messages came from Ben Prentiss, a Connecticut-based strength and conditioning coach who’s spent the last five summers working with the Blueshirts’ top new weapon.“I gave him the ‘LFG!'” Prentiss said with a chuckle, using the acronym for “let’s f—ing go,” on a recent call with The Athletic. “He gave it back to me with the smiley face (emoji).”The June 26 trade and subsequent contract extension marked the first time that Prentiss Hockey Performance’s director, who also serves as a consultant for the Rangers, could recall New York adding a player he trains. He’s among many associated with the organization who are fired up to have the 25-year-old winger in the fold for the next seven years.That’s the length of the contract, worth $11 million in average annual value, that Dorofeyev inked shortly after the Rangers sent three draft picks, including two first-rounders, to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for his rights as a restricted free agent. Team president Chris Drury is banking on the high-scoring Russian to jolt an attack that’s stagnated in recent years.“His unique skill set and his production, specifically in goals, is something that we were in need of,” Drury said on a July 2 conference call with reporters. “We targeted him, and we’re thrilled to be able to pull off a trade.”Dorofeyev established himself as a premier sniper the past two seasons by combining to score 72 goals, which is tied for 15th in the NHL during that span. He added another 12 during Vegas’ run to the Stanley Cup Final this spring, effectively pricing himself out for the cap-crunched Knights.The Rangers were anxious to foot the bill given the team’s recent struggles, which included finishing last in the Eastern Conference last season, and desire to retool with younger players. But now the onus falls on Dorofeyev to prove he’s ready to ascend from being the third or fourth option in Vegas to the go-to guy in New York.“The pressure is a kind of privilege,” he said during his Rangers introductory Zoom call with media members on July 3. “I’ve been dealing with pressure all my life.”A gifted scorerEntering his first training camp as Golden Knights coach in 2022, Bruce Cassidy was given a list of three bubble players to watch, each of whom would need to clear waivers if they didn’t make the roster. Dorofeyev wasn’t among them, but he caught Cassidy’s eye nonetheless.“There was just something about him at the time,” Cassidy told The Athletic. “He could score NHL goals, and by that I mean his shot could beat goalies off the wing. It wasn’t all one-timers. He scores on the power play and obviously has the one-timer, but he was willing to go into traffic. He was just a little bit slight then. He was still only, I think, 21, so the physical part wasn’t there. But that’s what I noticed about him.”The 2019 third-round pick (No. 79) stuck around until the end of camp, appearing in five of Vegas’ six preseason contests. The Knights ultimately decided to protect Paul Cotter from waivers, rather than roll the dice on the exciting prospect, but Dorofeyev would be back later that season.He scored seven goals in 18 NHL appearances as a rookie, then another 13 in 47 games the following season. Vegas’ loaded lineup was tough to crack, but there was no denying Dorofeyev by 2024-25. He exploded for 35 goals in his first full season, then another 37 in 2025-26.His lethal left-handed shot clearly translated to the highest level — “It’s his gift,” said one Eastern Conference scout, speaking anonymously to offer a candid evaluation — but Cassidy was equally impressed by how he went about getting into shooting positions.