Dorofeyev’s Puzzle: Who Sets Him Up? | New York Rangers News

**Corey** (0:00)
On July 10th, the New York Rangers are in the middle of a retool, and they made a solid move acquiring Pavel Dorofeyev from Vegas. He's a pure scorer, the kind of winger who needs a center to set him up. The problem is, the Rangers just traded away their primary playmaker, Vincent Trocheck, to the Utah Mammoth. Now they've got this talented scorer, but no clear guy to feed him the puck. This leaves a pretty big hole in their lineup. They brought in Dorofeyev expecting him to contribute offensively, but without a strong center to create chances, his impact could be limited.
It's a question that needs an answer, especially if they want this retool to actually pay off in the long run. The team seems to be banking on an internal solution. The most logical candidate to step into that playmaking role is Mika Zibanejad.
He's got the skill set to be a top line center and set up a scorer like Dorofeyev. However, Zibanejad's production has been trending down, and while he's paid like a top center, he'll need to prove he can still deliver consistently in that crucial role. Another option they might consider is JT. Miller. He's not as flashy a playmaker as Zibanejad or the departed Trocheck, but he's a solid two-way player. The concern there is whether Miller can generate enough offense himself to really unlock Dorofeyev's scoring potential, or if Dorofeyev will have to do too much of the dirty work to get the puck. Ultimately, Coach Mike Sullivan will likely experiment with different line mates for Dorofeyev.
Teams adjust, and what works early in the season might need tweaking. But that central question of who will be Dorofeyev's primary setup man remains the biggest puzzle piece for the Rangers this offseason. That's the story for today, New York Rangers News Today, driven by AI. I'm Corey with the story.