Colin Stephenson: Rangers GM Chris Drury lets $77M deal for Pavel Dorofeyev do the talking

Rangers general manager Chris Drury made a huge trade on Friday when, moments after the first round of the NHL Draft kicked off, he acquired 25-year-old sniper Pavel Dorofeyev from the Golden Knights. Minutes later, he selected Latvian defenseman Alberts Smits with the No. 5 overall pick.

But Drury chose not to talk to the media about it.

He could have talked about the deal on Saturday, too, after the Rangers finished the second day of the draft by making eight more picks. He could have explained how adding Dorofeyev, who scored 37 goals for Vegas this past season and 12 more in the playoffs, boosts his efforts to retool the roster. Maybe he could have talked about how getting Dorofeyev will affect his approach to free agency, which opens Wednesday.  But despite multiple requests from reporters, he chose not to discuss it.

The Rangers offered John Lilley, their director of player personnel and director of amateur scouting, to talk to the media on Friday and Saturday, but Lilley spoke only about the players who were drafted. So there’s no official comment from management about the trade. Not even a canned quote in the news release that announced it Friday.

The Rangers reportedly signed Dorofeyev, a restricted free agent with arbitration rights, to a seven-year contract worth $11 million per year. That seems like a big deal, as it would make him the team’s second-highest-paid player behind goalie Igor Shesterkin.

The Rangers promised that Drury will talk about the Dorofeyev trade in the coming days. That probably means Wednesday after he’s done signing free agents for the day. It sure would have been nice to hear from him over the weekend.

Rangers heavy on D-men

After taking Smits in the first round Friday, the Rangers chose another defenseman, Ben MacBeath (pronounced Macbeth), with their second-round pick (No. 64 overall) Saturday. Then, after taking goalie Danai Shaiikov with their first of three third-rounders (No. 67 overall), they took another defenseman, Charlie Morrison, at 77. That gave them three defensemen in their first four picks. They took five defensemen — all of them lefthanded shots — in their nine picks.

But Lilley insisted that the Rangers don’t make picks based on position; they always pick whomever the best player available is. Taking all those defensemen was pure coincidence, he said. “Sometimes it’s just the way the list falls,’’ he said. “This year [the draft] certainly seemed a little ‘D’-heavy anyway, and we ended up with those left-shot ‘D.’ But it was the way the list went.’’

Lilley was particularly pleased to get MacBeath, a 6-2, 196-pound lefty who is heading for the University of Denver in the fall, with the last pick of the second round. The Calgary native, who was ranked No. 22 on the NHL’s North American skater prospects list, was projected by some to be a potential first-rounder.

“We’re very excited to get him at 64,’’ Lilley said. “I know it’s a little bit of a cliche, saying we didn’t think he would be there, but we were a little surprised he was there. He had a really good season. He is a really good skater, he’s a good size, he can move a puck.’’

MacBeath doesn’t mind the fact that the Rangers drafted so many defensemen. “I’m excited to be around that elite competition,’’ he said, "and I’m prepared to put in the work to hopefully make the biggest impact I can.’’

Edstrom traded

Adam Edstrom, who was plagued by injuries the last two seasons, was traded to Nashville for a fifth-round pick (No. 148 overall) and minor-league center Massimo Rizzo. The Rangers used the No. 148 pick, packaged with No. 131, to trade into the fourth round and draft winger Spencer Bowes at No. 102 . . . Shaiikov, 19, came to North America this season and played 50 games for Gatineau in the Quebec and Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Lilley said, “It was a strong year for goalies. Scott Clemmensen, who is our goalie scout, really valued this young man in Gatineau. He’s athletic; he’s very competitive.’’

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.