Rangers have shift in free-agency strategy after acquiring Pavel Dorofeyev

NHL free agency opens at noon Wednesday, but there aren’t any potential franchise-changing options on the market. Most of the biggest names have been locked up by their current teams, or — in the cases of Alex Tuch and John Carlson — traded to new destinations last week.

Fortunately for the Rangers, they addressed their biggest roster need on Friday when they obtained sniper Pavel Dorofeyev from Vegas shortly after the NHL Draft kicked off. Adding Dorofeyev, 25, who scored 35 and 37 goals in the last two seasons and had 12 goals in the playoffs this past spring, instantly improves an offense that struggled badly last season.

So the pressure for general manager Chris Drury to make a big splash in free agency is largely off. Still, there are always holes to fill and upgrades to be made as the Rangers continue to “retool.’’ So Wednesday offers an opportunity for Drury to strengthen and deepen the roster.

“I think we have the ability to improve and get better in the most immediate future,’’ coach Mike Sullivan said at the team’s breakup day in April. “I feel like with some tweaks to our roster, get some guys healthy again, I think we have the ability to become a competitive team.’’

So what would a successful free-agent signing day look like for the Rangers?

Well, it doesn’t have to be much, especially given that Drury still has center Vincent Trocheck and young defenseman Braden Schneider to offer as trade chips as he seeks to improve the roster. That may free him in free agency to focus on bringing in some lower-profile additions.

On breakup day, Sullivan said improving puck movement from the blue line to jump-start the offense was a top priority. He also emphasized the importance of adding bottom-six forwards who can handle penalty-killing duties, taking that burden off core players Trocheck, Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller.

But given their struggles to score — the Rangers were shut out in their first three home games last season — Drury said on breakup day that finding ways to create more offense is something he’s always trying to do.

“We’re always looking and tweaking and looking at ways to get more scoring and how to find more scoring,’’ he said.

Even with Dorofeyev joining Zibanejad, Miller, Alexis Lafreniere and presumably Gabe Perreault in the top-six forward group, Drury still might target another scoring winger. Available options include Anthony Mantha, who posted a career-high 33 goals with Pittsburgh last season, and Michael Bunting, a frequent trade-deadline target who spent last season with Dallas.

Former Rangers Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko are on the market. Islanders unrestricted free agent Anders Lee could be a possibility.

The Rangers could use immediate help on defense, too. Even after drafting Latvian defenseman Alberts Šmits with the No. 5 overall pick on Friday and using five of their nine weekend draft selections on blueliners, adding a reliable left-shot option behind Vladislav Gavrikov remains a priority.

San Jose’s Mario Ferraro, 27, could be an ideal fit. Despite being undersized at 5-11 and 200 pounds, he led the Sharks in blocked shots for six consecutive seasons and is coming off career highs in goals (seven) and points (23). Alternatively, if Drury wants a shorter-term option, he could look to reunite with former Ranger Carson Soucy.

Jonathan Quick’s retirement has created an opening for the No. 2 goaltender spot behind Igor Shesterkin. Drury re-signed Hartford netminder Dylan Garand — who looked sharp during a late-season call-up— to a two-year extension. However, it would be imprudent not to bring in an experienced veteran to push Garand, making a backup goalie target a top priority for Drury on Wednesday.

There’s also the matter of finding a veteran fourth-line center who can play limited minutes, kill penalties and win faceoffs.

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.