New York Rangers: Jeff Gorton’s top priorities #6-10

#7  Managing COVID-19

While this doesn’t fall solely on the shoulders of the general manager, dealing with the pandemic has to be keeping Gorton awake at night.   It’s clear that the NHL and the NHLPA will establish all of the standards for health and safety as they did in the “Return to Play,” but the idea of a “bubble” scenario is out of the question for next season and that raises a host of issues for individual teams.

That means that NHL teams will face many of the challenges faced by Major League Baseball.  That means late cancellations, risky travel and potential for multiple positive diagnoses. Not only that, but training camps are due to begin on November 17, at the height of the flu season.

Gorton is on the NHL’s Board of Governors and they will be working full time to figure out how to get next season started.  There has been talk about a revised schedule with more games against teams within short travel distances.

With all of these decisions on his plate, Gorton will be very busy dealing with non-hockey related issues that have to be considered priorities.  Call them distractions from his real job, but they are incredibly important.