Insider Suggests Oilers “Max Chaos” Offer Sheet for Pavel Dorofeyev

The Vegas Golden Knights are currently in the Western Conference Final, trying to make a push for their second Stanley Cup in franchise history, and after taking a 1-0 series lead over the powerhouse Colorado Avalanche, it seems they have a real shot of taking down the clear favourites.

With that being said, one Golden Knights forward is a pending restricted free agent (RFA) and is playing himself into a massive raise this offseason, and that is Pavel Dorofeyev.

Dorofeyev, who is 25 years old, has had an impressive postseason. Through 13 playoff games, he has scored 10 goals and added two assists for 12 points, maintaining just under a point-per-game average. In the regular season, he scored 37 goals and added 27 assists for 64 points through 82 games. Throughout his career, he has scored 92 goals and added 57 assists for 149 points through 231 games.

Now, the Golden Knights would hold Dorofeyev’s rights, and any team would have to either trade for his RFA rights or send an offer sheet with draft compensation for them to give him up. With that being said, an insider suggested a rival contender, the Edmonton Oilers, could send a massive offer sheet to try to bring him in.

On The Sheet today we talked about a max chaos move the Oilers could pull off if they can get their first round pick back from San Jose – offer sheet Pavel Dorofeyev.

$11.9 x 2 would cost two firsts, a second and a third.@thesheethockey

— Jeff Marek (@JeffMarek) May 20, 2026

Now, Marek was quickly corrected by PuckPedia, who explained the Oilers had the first-round picks to give up as compensation in this hypothetical offer sheet, but would have to get their third-round pick back from the Nashville Predators, which they traded to acquire Spencer Stastney.

They don’t need their 2027 1st back from SJ. They could satisfy it by giving their 2028 and 2029 1sts. They would have to get their 2027 3rd back from Nashville though. https://t.co/YWI3cnYjov pic.twitter.com/PH7F3a58PV

— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) May 20, 2026

The Oilers would have to find a way to acquire their draft pick back, while also being able to convince Dorofeyev to sign a massive offer sheet. It’s a stretch, but it isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

Oilers Need to Make Other Moves

The Oilers wouldn’t mind adding a strong goalscorer like Dorofeyev, as I am sure any team in the NHL wouldn’t mind doing, but they have to make some other moves if they want to consider a monster addition like this.

The Oilers need to clear cap space. Whether that comes from trading Darnell Nurse, Tristan Jarry, or Trent Frederic, the Oilers have to find a way to clear up some money because they have larger issues at hand.

Giving up those draft picks and spending that much money for Dorofeyev proves the Oilers are going all-in, but it also takes away some important trade assets to target some other players.

The Oilers need to figure out their goaltending situation, need to add a defender, and from there, need to fill out their lineup with players that can help them finally push for their first Stanley Cup since 1990. If they’re spending that much money on one forward, they would have to sacrifice another need, and that’s not something they can afford to do in what could be their most important offseason in franchise history.

Other Teams Could Be Better Fits

The Oilers need to spend money and might be aggressive this summer, but I don’t think they’re the right fit for Dorofeyev.

The Anaheim Ducks, Detroit Red Wings, San Jose Sharks, and Los Angeles Kings are just a few teams that make some sense instead of the Oilers, and they could be better fits for Dorofeyev.

With the Golden Knights having a tight cap situation, there is a real possibility that someone puts pressure on them with an offer sheet, but I don’t think it ends up being the Oilers.

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