Dorofeyev, acquired by the Rangers in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights on June 26, quickly remembered and recognized that Connecticut has been his summer home for four years, so why not make one of the state's lush and sprawling suburban communities his full-time residence as the 25-year-old embarks on his career with New York?
He has rented an apartment in Connecticut each of the past four summers so he can train at Prentiss Hockey in Stamford; it's an arrangement originally set up by his agent, Rick Komarow, and one Dorofeyev embraces every offseason.
"I know the area, what's going on around," Dorofeyev said. "There are some great spots and things to do. It's just a great place to live."
The arrangement became essential to Dorofeyev this offseason, serving as a gateway to getting acclimated to his new team, allowing him to be a familiar face to many of his new teammates, not some stranger walking into the Rangers' training facility for pre-camp skates.
Dorofeyev trained alongside fellow forwards J.T. Miller, Matt Rempe and Gabe Perreault, and defenseman Adam Fox this summer. He skated with defenseman Scott Morrow. He has since gotten to know goalie Igor Shesterkin and his family because they also moved back into their Connecticut home upon returning from Moscow, where they spend the summer.
"Obviously, with a shortened training camp you only have so many times on the ice with someone, so many times around them to know their tendencies, know what they like, what they don't like," Fox said. "Just getting to know him a little bit being around the area has been good. … Obviously, the talent he brings is a big help too, but that familiarity helps a lot just having him in the area."
Dorofeyev said he could tell the difference this summer from previous summers, when he would train at Prentiss but leave early to go to Las Vegas to begin his season with the Golden Knights.
"It felt more like home and I could get used to it," he said.
Now he's getting used to playing with his new teammates.
Dorofeyev has been skating on the left wing with Miller in the middle and fellow New York newcomer Oliver Bjorkstrand on the right wing early in training camp.
The hope is Miller, who had 36 assists in 68 games last season, can create space and find Dorofeyev for the same type of shooting opportunities he had last season, when he was regularly getting the puck from Tomas Hertl or Jack Eichel.
Miller is one of eight centers with at least three 50-plus assists seasons since 2021-22. The others are Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Leon Draisaitl, Aleksander Barkov, Tim Stutzle and Robert Thomas.
"I think (Miller's) playmaking ability is probably undervalued by some," Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said. "J.T. sees the ice pretty well. I think he has the ability to distribute the puck. J.T. brings a physical element in a down-low game, a grind game that I think he could drag his linemates into a little bit so they can create some offense in different ways. 'Pav' is a guy that obviously can score goals. We want to see what that looks like."
However it shakes out, the pressure is on Dorofeyev to make an immediate impact as New York will attempt to rebound from its last-place finish in the Metropolitan Division last season.
He scored 72 goals the past two seasons with the Golden Knights, including an NHL-high 37 last season, including 20 on the power play.
Dorofeyev ranked 20th in the NHL in goals and second in power-play goals. He scored 12 more goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, including an NHL-high five on the power play, to help the Golden Knights reach the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost in six games to the Carolina Hurricanes.
"Lethal shooter," center Mika Zibanejad said. "I feel like he's strong on the puck. You can tell. It's hard to get a full type of view on a player after a 40-minute scrimmage, but you can tell he's strong on the puck and he puts himself in positions to shoot. Even playing with the guys that he's playing with, with 'Millsy' and the way he's finding guys and the way he can finish, he'll add to the goal scoring for us, which is going to be huge."
Dorofeyev should be a massive addition to the Rangers' power play, which finished fifth in the League at 24.7 percent last season, including a somewhat surprising 27.6 percent in the final 26 games after training forward Artemi Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 4.
"It adds another threat that teams maybe haven't seen from our power play in the past," Zibanejad said.
Dorofeyev is a left-handed shooter who is expected to set up on the right flank for his one-timer. New York has been loaded with righties on the power play, including Zibanejad in the left face-off circle, his one-timer side, Panarin, Vincent Trocheck and Fox, who is the quarterback.
"If it is him (Dorofeyev) and Mika on those flanks, obviously that's two shooting threats, kind of pick your poison there," Fox said. "I think it's obviously huge. Having a goal scorer on the power play is one of the biggest threats you can have and he's obviously one of the best at it."
Fox said the Rangers players are picking Dorofeyev's brain about the experience of playing in the Cup Final; he's the only one of the roster who has done so in his career.
"Those types of losses are going to hurt for a while," Dorofeyev said, "but at the same time it's going to help grow your game, going to help get stronger and better."
Dorofeyev's game is set to grow in New York, where he is already comfortable, already feels at home.
He walked in that way, and the feeling is growing that practices have begun in anticipation of opening night against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Sept. 29 (8 p.m. ESPN).
"He's very familiar," Miller said. "Doesn't feel like a stranger at all."
