The New York Rangers acquired Pavel Dorofeyev on Friday night, adding a huge piece during Chris Drury’s retool. Following a season in which the Rangers struggled to score and lacked young scoring talent, adding a player of Dorofeyev’s caliber was a huge move to help boost the offense going into the 2026-2027 season. This trade came out of nowhere, but it made sense given the assets the Rangers had to deal. Along these lines, there are more potential Rangers trade targets that fit the same mold as Dorofeyev: Players on teams that cannot afford their next contract.
Though we didn’t see the Dorofeyev trade coming for the Rangers, the outlook the Rangers are working through is clear: Adding young talent that can help now and in the future. New York nearly made a similar move when they tried to acquire Mason McTavish from the Anaheim Ducks, but the Ducks chose the St. Louis Blues offer instead.
So who Rangers trade targets that fit this mold?
Kirill Marchenko
Kirill Marchenko is a longshot, but certainly one worth mentioning. Supposedly Marchenko wants out of Columbus once his contract expires, so Columbus may very well have to trade him for what they can get at this point. New York probably wouldn’t be able to give the best trade package out of anyone considering Marchenko would be highly sought after, but who knows? If Marchenko really wants to play in New York, it could happen. Marchenko would give the Rangers another sorely needed top six talent.
Mavrik Bourque
One of the hottest names on the RFA market right now, Bourque may have played too well for the Dallas Stars to keep him. Bourque has certainly not become a (no pun intended) star quite yet, and maybe he will never be one. But he’s young, has a nose for the net, and has plenty of potential. This would be another top six talent the Rangers could make a move for.
Alex Turcotte
The Los Angeles Kings once drafted Turcotte fifth overall, but they are likely tiring of the forward, as he hasn’t been able to find a consistent game in the NHL. This is exactly the kind of player the Rangers should be taking a flyer on. Sure, Turcotte very well just not be an NHL-level talent. But it would behoove the Rangers to see if they could unlock something in him. That’s what smart organizations do.
These are just a few forward the Rangers could look at. Most teams have young players they either cannot afford to pay, don’t want to pay, or the players are disgruntled. If the Rangers want to be set up for now and the future, they should keep looking into players like these.