Blue Line Station
Fansided

Jeff Gorton Ready to Assume The Mantel Of Rangers GM

By Patrick Comia

facebooktwitterreddit

With yesterday’s reports about Glen Sather possibly leaving his post as general manager of the New York Rangers, a name started floating to the surface as his possible successor.

New York Rangers
New York Rangers /

New York Rangers

Jeff Gorton appears to be that man. Already serving as assistant general manager, he has been under Sather for the past four seasons.

Even before that, he was already in the Rangers organization four years prior. In his first year, he served as a professional scout. After, he was the Assistant Director of Player Personnel for three years before assisting Sather in his present role.

Before joining the Rangers, Gorton served in the Boston Bruins organization holding various managerial hats including assistant general manager and, for a short time, interim general manager.

With the Rangers, he has been responsible for the daily operations of the club. His reach in the organization is vast. You could say he knows the organization, inside and out. Everything from negotiating players’ contracts to his involvement with the scouting department, Gorton appears to be well-prepared to take up the mantle if Sather decides to change his role within the Rangers organization.

Glen Sather steadfastly refused to let trusted lieutenant Jeff Gorton interview with NHL teams seeking a general manager this spring…The Bruins wanted to talk to Gorton about their GM job after firing Peter Chiarelli. The Toronto Maple Leafs sought permission to interview Gorton as well. Slats said no to both teams.-sportingnews.com, June 2015

Though, it has been Sather’s neck on the line in many of the team’s previous transactions, Gorton has been the one high above the stage and pulling the strings.

Of course, nothing was approved unless it received Sather’s stamp of approval.

In a way, this may be a good thing to have come up. As mentioned in a previous article when the news broke, Sather has been in his position since 2000. That’s over 15 years sitting in the chair of general manager.

Of course, he did bring his five Stanley Cup Rings with him and his previous successes as a head coach and general manager.

However, the time for change may have crept up on Sather. It might be time to step back and let someone new take the reins with fresh eyes. Gorton will be 53 years old in November.

There is no denying the success Sather has done for the Rangers, in his tenure. Proof of that has been the product that skates on Madison Square Garden. He brought the Rangers back to respectability after being shun from success for so many years.

Sather can leave on his own terms, that much he has earned. That familiar image of Sather chewing on his Cubano cigars watching the action from his suite will be a lasting memory in Madison Square Garden.

But if he decided to move on, the Rangers organization would be left in good hands with Gorton.

Next: New York Rangers GM Glen Sather Could Be Stepping Down?

More from Blue Line Station

Home/Editorials