Major publication concerning Jeff Gorton's role and it's really making people talk

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Jeff Drouin
November 10, 2022 (10:00)

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In the last few minutes, former Montreal Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien has published a striking article, and it concerns Jeff Gorton's role with the Habs.

The title of his article says it all: "Gorton controls everything".

Therrien gives as an example the decision to submit Rem Pitlick to waivers.

"Before a general manager makes a decision, such as submitting Rem Pitlick to waivers, he consults his people. From what I understand, the guy who has the final say in Montreal is Jeff Gorton. You don't hear much about him, but I'm sure everything goes through him because of his experience. He's been rolling his hump in management for a long time." - Michel Therrien

He adds that he believes Gorton is the key player in the Habs' hockey department.

"After all, he's a very good hockey head, plus he was the architect of the Rangers rebuild." - Michel Therrien

Still, he believes that Gorton checks in with his professional scouts and consults his world, but Therrien seems to believe that Jeff Gorton plays a much bigger role in Montreal than people think.

It's true that since the hiring of Kent Hughes as general manager, we've heard a lot less about Gorton, but he's there and he's obviously got some serious power.

"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

After all, let's remember that he was the one who picked Kent Hughes in the first place.

An interesting paper and a good reminder of the crucial role Jeff Gorton plays in Montreal. So far, like Kent Hughes, he seems to be doing an outstanding job.

The Habs are moving in the right direction and we love it! It's a little different in Montreal with Gorton and Hughes, but it's the result that counts.

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