Gorton's job, however, could be greatly complicated by the current crisis facing the NHL. Indeed, as Bob Hartley explained during his latest segment on 91.9 Sports, COVID-19 could completely upend the plan of the 32 NHL organizations.
The Omsk Avangard head coach does question whether GMs in all four corners of the league will be inclined to make trades in the coming weeks, despite the uncertainty surrounding the 2021-22 season and, in particular, the upcoming playoffs.
It is true that many teams may be much more hesitant to pay the big price to improve if the playoffs themselves are in jeopardy. In the case of the Habs, for example, this could prevent Jeff Gorton and his future partner from getting a good return for a player like Ben Chiarot, who has been a regular part of trade rumors lately.
This is all speculation, and will depend on future developments, but there must be some concern across the league.
