Gorton hired to run the Canadiens, any impact on the Rangers?

It didn’t take very long for Jeff Gorton to land his next gig in the NHL.  After a handful of games as an NHL Network television analyst, he was hired Sunday as Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations.  He replaces General Manager Marc Bergevin.  The hiring came just six months after Gorton was fired by the New York Rangers.

The Canadiens cleaned house, also firing Assistant General Manager Trevor Timmins and SVP of Communications Paul Wilson.  That means it will be up to Gorton to fill out the managment team. Of course, the big question is how long a leash Coach Dominique Ducharme will get.

It will be interesting to have Gorton running a team in the Eastern Conference that will be fighting the Rangers for a playoff spot (not this season).  They already have a rival in the Metropolitan Division with John Davidson also landing a job as President of Hockey Operations for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Not wanting to be accused of generating clickbait, we didn’t highlight it, but we’ve got an off-the-wall trade proposal for Gorton and Dury below.

Possible management moves

Whenever a former GM lands in an other market, the question is whether he will poach his former team.  Former Rangers coach David Quinn is still looking for a full time job and is currently  Assistant Coach for Team USA at the Olympics.  Would Gorton consider hiring Quinn to coach the Canadiens, the highest profile team in Canada?   He doesn’t fit the French Canadian profile and considering the last full-time Anglo Montreal coach hired was Pat Burns in 1988, don’t hold your breath.

Gorton did hire Jacques Martin as assistant coach under Quinn and he does fit the profile. Martin coached the Canadiens from 2009-12 with some success.

As it is, Gorton is only the second non-French Canadien to run the team in the last 38 years with Bob Gainey (2003-10) the only exception.

At any rate, Chris Drury did clean house when he took over in New York and there are former Rangers front office folks who could end up in Montreal.   Drury made a lot of changes in the scouting department including the firing of Director of European Scouting Nick Bobrov and that is one area that Gorton could look to pick from.

Players?

There is always speculation that Gorton may have his favorites among players and prospects in the Rangers organization.  If Julien Gauthier had continued to disappoint, he might have been a player that Gorton would have tried to pry from the Blueshirts, but considering his success this season, it’s doubtful he is going anywhere.

Considering that every prospect in the Rangers organization was drafted by Gorton, he may look to acquire some players the Rangers don’t have room for.

The biggest issue for the Canadiens is the salary cap as they have the highest payroll in the NHL and currently sit with no cap space available.

A totally off-the-wall trade proposal

Since the Rangers are in a COVID-induced mini-break, let’s toss out an insane trade proposal to break the ice between Gorton and Drury.  Before you go crazy about this, let’s say it absolutely has no chance of happening, but it’s fun to speculate.

The Rangers trade Alexis Lafrenière, Vitali Kravtsov and Alexandar Georgiev to Montreal for center Nick Suzuki, right winger Josh Anderson, defenseman Alexander Romanov and goalie Cayden Primeau.  Feel free to substitute Cole Caufield for Anderson if you want.

The rationale?  The Canadiens get their French-Canadian star in Lafrenière and a potential breakout player in Kravtsov, plus a solid netminder to split duties with Jake Allen until Carey Price is healthy.

The Rangers get the center they will need to replace Ryan Strome though Suzuki’s cap hit is ($7.9 million) a bit steep.  Cayden Primeau is a solid netminding prospect and Romanov is the Habs’ top young defenseman and an upgrade over Patrik Nemeth. Josh Anderson is a feisty player who can score, but maybe it should be Caufield considering his sniping ability.

Why those Rangers?  A lot depends on whether the Blueshirts believe that Lafrenière will become the player they thought they had drafted.  Right now it’s doubtful that the team will be able to make amends with Kravtsov, and only Chris Drury knows the answer to that one. If he has no future with the team, then he goes for as much as the Rangers can get.  Georgiev needs a fresh start and with Igor Shesterkin shouldering the bulk of the netminding, a choice of Primeau, Adam Huska or Keith Kinkaid is not a bad one.  Georgiev was one of Gorton’s best finds.

Of course, there is no reason for the Rangers to make a dramatic move considering their great start and a trade like this between conference rivals is rife with potential for disaster for either team.  We also are not endorsing this deal in any way,shape or form.  Just some fodder for discussion on an off-day.  Feel free to weigh in.

Best of luck

Jeff Gorton was a New York Ranger for 14 years including the last six as general manager.  The team we are rooting for today was built by him for the most part and he has to get credit for getting them to this point.  He faces a huge challenge in Montreal and considering his past success, he should do well.

Ironically, it was as interim GM in Boston that he made moves that played a huge role in the Bruins’ 2011 Stanley Cup and hopefully, he is destined for the same future with the Rangers.

So, good luck to Jeff Gorton.  That is, except for when the Rangers are playing the Canadiens.