Jeff Gorton surprised no one this week by affirming his desire to follow the model that made him successful with the New York Rangers.
“Kent (Hughes), Martin (St-Louis) and I often discuss the appropriate time to take the next step, maybe a free agent, maybe a trade,” declared the Canadiens’ VP of hockey operations during from the podcast The Sick Podcast: The Eye Test hosted by Jimmy Murphy and Pierre McGuire.
However, is Gorton realistic in wanting to repeat his way of proceeding in a market very different from that of Montreal?
The first two steps are similar in many ways. Gorton went on a major rejuvenation wave starting in 2017 with the Rangers, jettisoning numerous veterans to amass draft picks and prospects.
The Rangers have drafted four times in the top 10 between 2017 and 2020, and benefited from eight first-round picks during these four vintages.
Gorton was also able to find two offensive centers thanks to judicious transactions. Mika Zibanejad, 91 points last year, 81 points the previous season, was obtained from the Ottawa Senators in July 2016, at just 23 years old, for Derick Brassard. Ryan Strome, acquired for Ryan Spooner, had a few seasons of around fifty points at the center of the second line before joining the Anaheim Ducks and being replaced by free agent Vincent Trocheck.
The third step may be difficult to imitate. The Rangers got their hands on the most coveted unrestricted free agent on the market, Artemi Panarin, in July 2019. Getting their hands on a 27-year-old winger capable of amassing 90 points or more per year is unexpected. But unless you’re established in a market like New York, Vegas or Florida, your chances of success are low.
The same principle applies to defender Adam Fox. Drafted by the Calgary Flames in the third round in 2016, Fox informed them of his intention to take advantage of his autonomy at the end of his university career. The Flames traded him to Carolina in the transaction allowing them to acquire Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin for Dougie Hamilton.
Fox didn’t do the Hurricanes any favors either. He wanted to play in New York for the Rangers and nowhere else. The Blue Shirts and Gorton inherited a potential Norris Trophy winner as the Most Outstanding Defenseman for two second-round picks in April 2019. Without Fox and Panarin, the Rangers would not be a dominant team today.
The Canadian can nevertheless stand out from the Rangers in terms of draft picks. New York’s prospect bank was empty when it came time to rebuild. That of CH already included Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Kaiden Guhle, Alexander Romanov, Joshua Roy, Arber Xhekaj, Logan Mailloux, Jordan Harris and a few others when Gorton and Kent Hughes arrived at the end of 2021, beginning of 2022.
Romanov made it possible to obtain Kirby Dach. This one could become the Mika Zibanejad of the Canadian, we hope in Montreal. At just 19 years old, Juraj Slafkovsky is already established in the first line and on his way to a 45-point season. Montreal will draft for a third consecutive time in the top 10after Slafkovsky, first in 2022, and David Reinbacher, fifth in 2023. The first pick of 2024 will be between the 4e and the 8e rank, perhaps even better if Montreal wins the lottery.
The Rangers cannot say the same. Two of their first picks of the top 10, Lias Andersson, seventh in 2017, and Vitali Kravtsov, ninth in 2018, are already no longer in the organization. The first gave a second round pick to New York and plays for the Laval Rocket today. The second was almost given to the Canucks. He continues his career in his native Russia.
The second overall pick in 2019, winger Kaapo Kakko has a measly 14 points in 49 games this season, after a more promising 40-point year last year. His name is circulating in trade rumors.
2020 first overall pick Alexis Lafreniere, 22, is having his best season in his four-year career with 45 points, including 20 goals, in 70 games, a pace of 52 points. However, we are justified in asking more from a first overall pick. Would you trade Slafkovsky for Lafrenière today?
Of those eight first-round picks, there’s K’Andre Miller, 22e overall pick in 2018, a 24-year-old defender with a profile similar to that of Guhle. Braden Schneider, 22, drafted at 19e rank in Lafrenière’s year, has been part of the Rangers’ defensive unit for two years, in a more defensive role, playing around fifteen minutes per game.
The twenty-eighth overall pick in 2018, defenseman Nils Lundqvist was traded to the Dallas Stars for a late first-round pick in 2023. That pick was used to get rental player Vladimir Tarasenko last year. Lundqvist plays as part of a third pairing on a strong defense in Dallas. Finally, Filip Chytil, 21e pick in 2017, was established on the third line in New York, before getting injured at the start of the season. He won’t return to the game until next year.
This poor performance in the draft was carried out under the leadership of Gorton and his right-hand man Nick Bobrov, repatriated to Montreal with him. They found themselves in a different environment, with Hughes, Martin Lapointe and the CH recruiters, and new analytical specialists.
Already, the choice of Slafkovsky is paying off. We’ll see about Filip Mesar, Owen Beck, Lane Hutson, Adam Engstrom, David Reinbacher, Jacob Fowler and the 2024 picks. But the Canadian has no room for error in the draft, unlike the Rangers…
Reinbacher’s happiness, Norlinder’s misfortune…
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
David Reinbacher
The Canadian’s first choice in 2023, fifth overall, right-handed defender David Reinbacher, will therefore make his debut with the Rocket on Friday evening. Mattias Norlinder, who impressed at the Canadian’s training camp, but much less during the regular season in the American League, gives up his place in the lineup. What a fall! Reinbacher will play with veteran Tobie Bisson, Logan Mailloux with William Trudeau in the first pair and Justin Barron will be paired with Olivier Galipeau. The match will not be televised, but will be broadcast on BPM Sports or available via pay-per-view package on theahl.com.