Jeff Gorton's hiring: a prominent New York journalist makes a huge statement

According to him, the Habs' new executive vice president of hockey operations would not have left the Big Apple, had he not been officially named as the "boss."

"I could be wrong, but I can't believe Jeff took the job without the confidence that he has the final say in hockey decisions."

Gorton has been with the Rangers organization since 2007, so Brooks has gotten to know him over time.

"His greatest quality is his ability to unearth talent and skilled personnel, make trades and build a roster. That's usually what you look for in a general manager."

"He's not someone who acts on emotion. He's a very thoughtful guy. In fact, he's more of a patient guy."

Gorton's patience, he said, is what cost him his job as general manager with the Rangers. According to the team owner, the rebuilding process that began in 2018 wasn't moving fast enough.

"That's why he was fired and not because of the whole saga surrounding Tom Wilson and the team's exit that commanded the resignation of George Parros (director of player safety). It happened almost at the same time, but it was just a coincidence. It was already planned."

Yet, in my opinion, a rebuild can last a really long time, take the Buffalo Sabres as an example. Gorton has done a great job of taking the Rangers to the next level in just three years.

Remember that the current New York Rangers team was built by Gorton and is loaded with talent like Zibanejad, Panarin and Fox. The Blue Shirts are having a great season so far, hence their 13-4-3 record.