The dismissal of President John Davidson and General Manager Jeff Gorton would not be linked to the “Tom Wilson affair”, swear the New York Rangers.
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Why, then, not to have waited for the end of the season, in three games, to proceed? The Rangers, after all, are already out of the playoffs.
There is nothing very clear about this huge sweep in New York. Davidson and Gorton are said to have disassociated themselves from this assassin press release from the organization, in which the Rangers called for the resignation of the NHL disciplinary prefect, George Parros, for his inaction against Tom Wilson.
The Washington Capitals forward seriously injured Rangers star Artemi Panarin earlier this week, grabbing him by the hair and slamming him head first on the ice. Panarin will not play for the rest of the season.
PHOTO BRUCE BENNETT, USA TODAY SPORTS
Tom Wilson et Artemi Panarin
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Wednesday’s game between the two clubs started with three brawls from the initial face-off. Uplifting. But let’s come back to the dismissal of our two men. Officially, boss James Dolan is dissatisfied with the team’s performance. He implied it in the press release issued on Wednesday afternoon. “I want to thank JD and Jeff for their contribution to the organization. These two great hockey professionals worked hard for the Rangers, but to give the club the success our fans deserve, these changes had to be made. ”
This is where James Dolan’s reasoning is difficult to understand. The Rangers and their GM Jeff Gorton began a major rebuild in 2018. They own the youngest club in the NHL. John Davidson arrived a year later, in May 2019.
You do not become a power of the National League three years after reconstruction. New York posted an excellent 37-28-5 record last year, before losing in the preliminaries to the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Rangers were ten points away from a playoff spot this season in the powerful East Division, with a 26-22-6 record. Not a shame either.
Gorton has proven to be a fierce negotiator. His first center, 28-year-old Mika Zibanejad, was obtained in 2016, with a second-round pick, against Derick Brassard. The youngster has amassed 197 points in his 193 games in New York.
Second center Ryan Strome, 27, was acquired for Ryan Spooner in 2018. Strome has 47 points in 54 games this season. Spooner has been playing in Minsk, in the KHL, since 2019.
Defenseman Adam Fox, 23, is a candidate for the Norris Trophy according to several observers. He has 47 points in 54 games. He was picked up from the Carolina Hurricanes in 2019 for two second-round picks…
PHOTO AL BELLO, USA TODAY SPORTS
Adam Fox
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Seven players drafted since 2017 have joined Rangers in recent years. They are therefore all 22 years old or younger: Alexis Lafrenière, Kaapo Kakko, Vitali Kravtsov, K’Andre Miller, Filip Chytil, Morgan Barron and Zac Jones.
Jeff Gorton, it should be noted, wisely kept his draft picks in order to successfully rebuild. New York has drafted eight times in the first round in the last four vintages and eight times in the second and third rounds.
What more could you ask for in such a context?
Chris Drury, 44, will take over on a permanent basis as President and CEO. He will be advised by Gorton’s predecessor, Glen Sather. Drury had served as Rangers’ deputy general manager since 2016.
This former Colorado Avalanche, Buffalo Sabers and Rangers forward just won the GM lottery. He has his hands full thanks to Gorton’s work.
As for Jeff Gorton, the teams in danger should hasten to lodge an appeal to him. He’s one of the best in the business …
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