"In the case of Pitlick, an issue that has gotten a lot of attention, he (Gorton) surely checked in with his professional recruiters first. He also did his homework by feeling out the interest of other teams around the league. It's his job to have a good idea of the value of his players. There is always a risk in placing a player on the block, but these are more often than not calculated risks.
When you ask for the opinion of your staff, it doesn't mean that everyone agrees, but someone has to decide. My gut feeling is that it is Gorton who is playing that role with the Canadiens. In fact, he was hired for it." - Michel Therrien