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Pavel Dorofeyev

Knights Without Dorofeyev For Game 2, Pietrangelo Possible To Return

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9:50 PM: Pietrangelo is in the lineup, skating on the team’s second pairing alongside Nicolas Hague, per Jesse Granger of The Athletic.

9:20 PM: The Vegas Golden Knights will be without winger Pavel Dorofeyev for their Game 2 matchup against the Oilers, while defender Alex Pietrangelo will be a game time decision, per Jesse Granger of The Athletic.

Dorofeyev has been out of the lineup since sustaining an injury in Game 5 of their opening-round matchup against the Minnesota Wild. His injury remains undisclosed and remains day-to-day. The 24-year-old burst onto the scene this season, scoring 35 goals while playing all 82 regular season games. He surpassed his previous career high in goals by 22 and more than doubled his personal best in points. In the first-round series, he recorded a goal and an assist over five games. His goal scoring prowess would be a welcomed return for the Golden Knights, especially considering the Oilers lead all playoff teams with 4.43 goals per game.

Pietrangelo is currently battling an illness, but head coach Bruce Cassidy said the veteran has a chance to play and that the team would be making a game-time call on his participation.  In 71 games on the season, Pietrangelo posted four goals, 33 points, a plus-11 rating, and 139 blocked shots. Perhaps most importantly, the veteran of more than 1,000 career games also averaged a hefty 22:24 of ice time per game, eating valuable minutes on the back end. The two-time Stanley Cup champ (including one with Vegas) was off to a hot start in the playoffs as well, posting a goal and two assist in six games, while again averaging more than 22 minutes of ice time per night. His return to the lineup is equally important as Dorofeyev’s when it comes to matching up against the star-studded Oilers.

Pacific Notes: Gavrikov, Kuzmenko, Jeannot, Dorofeyev

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Yesterday, the Los Angeles Kings mutually parted ways with their former General Manager, Rob Blake. Despite this change, the team is reportedly looking to secure contract extensions for defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and forward Andrei Kuzmenko, who are set to become unrestricted free agents this summer (Tweet Link).

Gavrikov has emerged as a top-four option in the Kings’ defense, especially during the Kings’ period without Drew Doughty during the 2024-25 season. In early January, the Kings’ defensive leader in +/- and blocked shots expressed his desire for a long-term contract, saying, “When I got to L.A., I needed time to decide if my family and I wanted to stay. That’s why we agreed on a short-term contract with the Kings. Now we know what we want, and we can sign a long-term deal here.” The most recent comparable for Gavrikov is the six-year, $33.3MM contract extension defenseman Kaiden Guhle signed with the Montreal Canadiens last July. 

Meanwhile, Kuzmenko was acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers in March 2025, with the Flyers retaining 50% of his salary. Known for his net-front presence and power-play contributions, he performed positively in Los Angeles, scoring five goals and 17 points in 22 games. Due to his inconsistent play over the past year, it is challenging to estimate Kuzmenko’s asking price for his next contract.

Other Pacific Division notes:

  • According to John Hoven of Mayor’s Manor, the Los Angeles Kings have not yet initiated extension negotiations with forward Tanner Jeannot. Despite facing injury concerns, Jeannot had a better season than the previous year, scoring six goals and recording 13 points in 67 games, along with 211 hits. If he requests a salary close to his current $2.665 million or lower, there should be mutual interest between him and Los Angeles for an extension in a fourth-line role.
  • Pavel Dorofeyev will not be in the lineup for the Vegas Golden Knights tonight due to an injury sustained in Game 5 of their opening-round matchup against the Minnesota Wild, causing him to miss the remainder of that game and Game 6 (Tweet Link). His status is considered day-to-day as the team monitors his recovery. Despite losing their fourth-highest-scoring forward from the regular season, the Golden Knights still possess ample depth on the wing.

Snapshots: Robertson, Dorofeyev, Bastian, Okposo

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A key Stars winger is getting closer to returning to their lineup.  Head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters including Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News that Jason Robertson has been upgraded from being out week-to-week to out day-to-day.  The 25-year-old had his third straight season of at least 80 points this year, hitting the mark exactly but suffered a leg injury in the final game of the regular season.  Robertson has been skating away from the team alongside injured blueliner Nils Lundkvist (who is still a long way from returning from shoulder surgery) and it appears he is progressing well in his recovery.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • The Golden Knights were without winger Pavel Dorofeyev for tonight’s game against Minnesota and he is listed as day-to-day, relays Jesse Granger of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 24-year-old had a breakout year, tallying 35 goals in the regular season but left Tuesday’s game late due to an undisclosed injury.  Victor Olofsson returned to the lineup to take Dorofeyev’s spot on the wing.
  • Speaking with reporters today (video link), Devils winger Nathan Bastian addressed his upcoming free agency. Eligible to test the open market for the first time, the 27-year-old indicated that his preference is to remain with New Jersey.  However, coming off a down year that saw him record just 10 points in 59 games, he might have to take a small dip in pay from his $1.35MM current deal to do so.  The team only has around $12MM in cap room for next season per PuckPedia with defenseman Luke Hughes likely to take a big chunk of that.  Accordingly, the Devils may need to keep their final few roster spots closer to the minimum salary and with Bastian logging under 11 minutes a night for the last two years, he likely falls in that category.
  • The NHLPA announced that they have hired long-time NHL winger Kyle Okposo as a Business Development and Player Engagement Advisor. Okposo played in over 1,000 career NHL games over parts of 17 seasons, recording 242 goals and 372 assists before ending his career after winning the Stanley Cup with Florida.  This won’t be Okposo’s first time working with the NHLPA as he was part of their Executive Board while playing and was also on the Executive Director Search Committee that eventually led to Marty Walsh being hired.

Western Injury Notes: Lyubushkin, Heiskanen, Dorofeyev

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Stars coach Pete DeBoer shared positive updates on the status of Ilya Lyubushkin, per Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News.

DeBoer noted that Lyubushkin’s absence at practice today was simply a maintenance day and that the veteran will be good to go for Thursday’s pivot Game Six matchup against the Avalanche. Lyubushkin contributed an assist and two blocked shots in the Stars’ 6-2 Game Five victory, which game them a 3-2 series lead. The 30-year-old has averaged more than 20 minutes of ice time per game during the series, so his availability moving forward is welcomed news for Dallas.

Other injury news from around the Western Conference:

  • DeBoer also provided an update on Miro Heiskanen, noting that the defender is getting closer to a return and will continue traveling with the club. Heiskanen is considered on a day-to-day recovery timeline after already returning to the ice for practice. The all-star rejoined practice on April 19 for the first time since sustaining a knee injury in January.
  • Vegas Golden Knights Forward Pavel Dorofeyev (undisclosed) will be a game-time decision for tomorrow’s Game Six matchup against the Minnesota Wild, per an NHL release. Coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters today that the team will monitor how Dorofeyev feels in the morning, as the team did not skate today. If Dorofeyev can’t go, Cassidy discussed the team having a few options to replace him in the lineup, including Victor Olofsson, who played the first three games of the series. Dorofeyev made a significant impact this season, emerging as one of the league’s breakout stars. He burst onto the scene with an impressive offensive performance, finding the back of the net 35 times and surpassing all of his previous career highs by a wide margin. His return to the lineup will be a key factor to the team’s success in this series and beyond.

Golden Knights Sign Ilya Samsonov; Extend Pavel Dorofeyev, Kaedan Korczak

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The Golden Knights have found Logan Thompson’s replacement on the open market, inking Ilya Samsonov to a one-year pact today, per a team release. They’ve also re-signed RFA forward Pavel Dorofeyev ($1.835MM AAV) and defenseman Kaedan Korczak ($825K) to two-year deals (per PuckPedia). It’s a $1.8MM cap hit for Samsonov, GM Kelly McCrimmon confirmed.

Vegas may have honored a reported trade request by dealing Thompson to the Capitals for a pair of third-round picks over the weekend, but they’ve now had to settle for a more expensive and arguably worse replacement on the open market. Samsonov costs more than twice as much as Thompson, whose cap hit was in the $700K range, and is coming off a roller-coaster-like 2023-24 campaign with Toronto that saw him finish with an underwhelming .890 SV% and 3.13 GAA in 40 games.

Samsonov started in Game 1 of the Maple Leafs’ first-round series against the Bruins but struggled to the tune of a .896 SV% and 3.01 GAA in the series. He was briefly pulled for the younger Joseph Woll, who was nearly instrumental in Toronto’s Games 5 and 6 wins, but an injury to Woll forced Samsonov back into action for the Leafs’ Game 7 loss.

A quick look at Samsonov’s stats indicates he’s also been yo-yo-like from year to year, something Vegas is banking on with this signing. A rebound year could end up proving to be a good value for his cap hit, but it’s certainly more of a gamble than retaining Thompson. He’ll likely start the season as a pure backup to Adin Hill but could work his way into tandem consideration. Barring injuries, it’s unlikely he’ll play 40+ games like he has with Toronto the past two years. Samsonov had previously expressed a desire for a multi-year deal this summer, too, so settling for a one-year pact likely indicates there wasn’t much of a market.

Dorofeyev returns and will be relied upon heavily to provide cheap depth scoring over the course of his two-year bridge deal. The 23-year-old Russian was limited to 47 games last year and was routinely the 13th forward on a deep Vegas offense, but was a great tertiary scoring option when in the lineup. Going back over the last three years, Dorofeyev has 20 goals and 33 points through his first 67 NHL games – a 40-point pace. He’s proven he can handle third-line minutes, although with the Knights losing all of Michael Amadio, Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson today, he may find his way into top-six duties by the end of the season.

Korczak should also be considered for a regular NHL role next season after Alec Martinez departed for the Blackhawks today. The 2019 second-round pick is still only 23 and was solid in major league action last year, accumulating nine points and a +12 rating in 29 games for Vegas. He’ll be in sure contention for a roster spot out of the gate.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Golden Knights Recall Grigori Denisenko

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The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled forward Grigori Denisenko from the Henderson Silver Knights of the AHL. The 23-year-old has appeared in 29 career NHL games split over four seasons, having also spent time with the Florida Panthers.

After suffering through a few injury-riddled seasons with the Panthers, the former 15th overall pick was claimed off waivers by Vegas on October 7th. He has been a solid AHL contributor thus far this season as he has posted 14 goals and 26 assists in 45 games, surpassing the 12 goals and 24 assists he registered last season in 56 games with the Charlotte Checkers.

Denisenko had an audition with the Golden Knights in early January as he spent a week in the NHL, dressing in three games and posting no points. He averaged 10:36 of ice time during that recall and had a decent showing at even strength as he took the bulk of his zone starts in the defensive zone and had decent underlying numbers.

The Golden Knights are currently without forwards Pavel Dorofeyev, Jack Eichel, and William Carrier and could be in line for a move for a forward before the NHL trade deadline. Denisenko didn’t dress today against the San Jose Sharks and will likely serve as the team’s 13th forward for the time being. However, if he keeps up his AHL scoring numbers he could get a longer look in the NHL sooner than later.

Pacific Notes: Pelletier, Grundström, Dorofeyev, Emberson, Barabanov

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The Flames have now listed winger Jakob Pelletier as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, per a team announcement. Pelletier, 22, played just 54 seconds against the Rangers on Monday before leaving the game after taking a hit from New York captain Jacob Trouba.

Thankfully, the day-to-day designation infers this injury isn’t related to the left shoulder surgery that sidelined him for the first three months of the season. After returning to health in January, the Flames assigned the 2019 first-round pick to the AHL, where he netted two goals and an assist in four games. Since returning to the NHL earlier this month, the Québec City native has an assist in four appearances. He got his first taste of NHL action last season, recording three goals and seven points in 24 games while averaging 14:11.

More from the Pacific Division:

  • Kings winger Carl Grundström has returned to Los Angeles from the team’s road trip to be evaluated for a lower-body injury, interim head coach Jim Hiller said Wednesday (via Zach Dooley of the team’s official site). Grundström left last night’s 7-0 loss to the Sabres in the first period, recording one shot on goal in 3:43 of ice time. The 26-year-old has struggled to produce after rattling off four points in five games to open the season, posting eight goals and 12 points in 50 games on the year with a -2 rating while averaging 10:56 per game. The second-round pick of the Maple Leafs in 2016 is a pending RFA with arbitration rights upon completion of his two-year, $2.6MM deal.
  • Golden Knights winger Pavel Dorofeyev has been skating on his own while he recovers from an upper-body injury, but head coach Bruce Cassidy said today that he’s not close to returning to practice (via Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Sun). Dorofeyev landed on IR earlier this week and hasn’t played since Jan. 26 against the Rangers, missing the team’s last four games. He’s eligible to return to the active roster at any time, but the 23-year-old is still weeks away from returning. The 2019 third-round pick has been an effective part of the Golden Knights’ secondary offense this season, potting seven goals and 14 points in only 29 games in a top-nine role.
  • Sharks defenseman Ty Emberson and winger Alexander Barabanov will return from respective upper-body and undisclosed injuries against the Jets tonight, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. It’s the Sharks’ first contest since the All-Star break – they’re the last team to return to action and will do so without the services of top-two centers Logan Couture and Tomáš Hertl for the foreseeable future. Emberson missed seven out of the last nine games before the break with an upper-body injury, while Barabanov didn’t finish their final contest before the break on Jan. 31 against the Ducks. With nine points and an even rating in 23 games, Emberson has battled through various injuries to break out as San Jose’s best shutdown blueliner this season after being claimed off waivers from the Rangers. The 29-year-old Barabanov hasn’t been as effective of a secondary presence as in years past, only producing three goals and nine points in 31 appearances while averaging 16:23 per game.

Vegas Golden Knights Announce Multiple Roster Moves

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The Vegas Golden Knights have activated defenseman Ben Hutton off of injured reserve ahead of their Monday night loss to the Minnesota Wild. Hutton served as a healthy scratch for the outing, but he’s now poised to make his return from an upper-body injury that had him designated as week-to-week. The Golden Knights have also moved forward Pavel Dorofeyev onto injured reserve with an upper-body injury that’s held him out of Vegas’ last four games. No update was provided on Dorofeyev’s timeline, though the team has recalled forward Sheldon Rempal, as well as goaltender Jiri Patera, for additional depth. Both recalls were made to address illness on Monday, with Rempal filling in for Paul Cotter and Patera filling in for Logan Thompson.

Vegas swaps out a depth forward and a depth defenseman with their IR moves. Hutton has played in 31 games on a bottom-pair role this season, scoring one goal and nine points – one point more than he recorded in as many games last year. Dorofeyev has found similar success, scoring 14 points, split evenly, through 29 games in Vegas’ bottom six. It’s Dorofeyev’s official rookie season, though he did appear in 20 NHL games prior to this season. He’s up to 23 points across 49 career NHL games.

To help mend the lineup in the face of injury, the Golden Knights bring up two players who have each played in five NHL games this season. Forward Rempal has scored two goals in his outings, appearing in some of the first NHL games of his career. He currently ranks second on the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights in scoring, with 21 goals and 33 points through 43 games. Goaltender Patera will be approaching this call-up looking for more, setting a 1-3 record and .901 save percentage this season. Patera is also a rookie, with his only NHL experience prior to this season coming through just two games last year. He’s served as Henderson’s starter when he’s in the minors, recording seven wins and a .903 save percentage in 17 games.

Golden Knights Notes: Røndbjerg, Dorofeyev, Miromanov

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The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled forward Jonas Røndbjerg from a brief stint with their AHL affiliate the Henderson Silver Knights. The 24-year-old has been up and down in recent weeks and was recalled back on January 19th on an emergency loan but then was sent back down to the AHL over the NHL All-Star break.

Røndbjerg is fortunate that Henderson is located close to Las Vegas as this is the tenth time Røndbjerg has been recalled this season. Røndbjerg started the season at a decent pace with a goal and two assists in his first five NHL games but since that time he has been held pointless in nine straight NHL games. At the AHL level the Rungsted, Denmark native has remained a consistent secondary scorer with four goals and 10 assists in 27 games.

In other Golden Knights notes:

  • Jesse Granger of The Athletic reports that Golden Knights forward Pavel Dorofeyev will skate tomorrow but is not well enough to return for Tuesday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers. The 23-year-old didn’t dress for Vegas’ final game before the All-Star break as he has been dealing with an upper-body injury. In 29 games this season, the former third-round pick has seven goals and seven assists and has only registered two minor penalties.
  • The Golden Knights have also recalled Daniil Miromanov from a conditioning loan, although he will remain on the LTIR for the time being. The 26-year-old has been dealing with an undisclosed injury since the start of the regular season and hasn’t seen any NHL action since last year. He played his first game of the year on January 24th with Henderson and tallied a goal and five assists in five AHL games. Miromanov had two goals and four assists in 14 games with Vegas last year and looked like he could challenge for an NHL roster spot after getting long looks the past two seasons.

Jacob Trouba To Have Player Safety Hearing

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The Rangers play their final game before their off week tonight and it’s possible they won’t have their captain available for that contest.  The Department of Player Safety announced that defenseman Jacob Trouba will have a disciplinary hearing today by phone for an elbowing infraction on Golden Knights winger Pavel Dorofeyev last night.

The incident occurred late in the second period following a faceoff and no penalty was called on the play.  Meanwhile, Dorofeyev left the game early in the third period with what head coach Bruce Cassidy called an upper-body injury.  There was no further clarity on how long he might be out for.  More information on that front is expected today.

Trouba has been suspended once before back in 2017 for an illegal check to the head while he was playing in Winnipeg.  While enough time has elapsed that it won’t count against him from a forfeited salary standpoint if he’s suspended, it could be taken into consideration in determining how much time Trouba might miss.

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