Mike Sullivan stopped waiting for Pavel Dorofeyev to figure things out on his own. On Friday, the Russian winger was shifted to the top line alongside Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafrenière by the Rangers head coach. This shakeup comes after Dorofeyev struggled to find his rhythm through the first 14 games of the season. Sullivan knows the team needs more from their new scoring threat right now.
Why the timing changed
The coach admitted he hesitated to make moves earlier because his top unit was playing well. But the production drop-off forced his hand to try something different. Sullivan told reporters, “We just think the timing was right at this point to try to make this adjustment. I think it’s the one combination that we haven’t gone to yet with respect to Pav inside the top six.” Gabe Perreault got bumped down to the third unit to make room. It is a clear sign that the front office wants immediate results from their new talent.
Dorofeyev has been stuck in a strange spot all season long. He sits among the league leaders in hitting the post but only has three goals to show for it. The stats from the New York Post show he has logged just three goals in 14 games. That lack of output hurts a team that needs to win close games. The Rangers cannot afford to have a high‑skill player sitting on the bench or playing in the bottom six.
Defense stays the same
While the forward lines got a major shakeup, the defensive pairs remain untouched. Sullivan is sticking with his original pairings because Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov are playing great. The drop-off from Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson worries the coach, but he is not ready to break up the top pair yet. Sullivan noted, “It’s a conversation that we’ve had here over the last couple of days,” when asked about the defense. He wants to keep the blue line steady while he fixes the scoring issues up front.
Putting him next to Zibanejad and Lafrenière gives him the best chance to score. The Rangers hope this new setup captures the player they saw during training camp. He scored against the Lightning in the home opener.
The coach said, “We’re trying to find a way to capture Pav’s best game,” regarding the switch. For now, the experiment begins on Friday night against a tough opponent.
