NHL general managers (GMs) have to make decisions – which could sometimes derail or move the team closer to success. While some moves made by New York Rangers GMs Chris Drury (incumbent) and Jeff Gorton (former) might have been controversial, the organization was never exactly in an abyss under their respective leaderships.
Related: Rangers’ Kaapo Kakko Has This Season to Prove He’s Part of Long-Term Plan
To give background on the two, Gorton was first brought in by Glen Sather as a pro scout after previously serving as the Boston Bruins’ interim GM. He would then climb the ranks and eventually earn the GM title after Sather stepped down to president following the 2014-15 season.
Drury, who previously served as the Rangers’ captain on the ice, was first brought into the front office as the director of player development in 2015. Then, in the following year, he was promoted to assistant GM before taking over the reins of the front office following the firings of Gorton and former president John Davidson.
Gorton Appeared Gun Shy Compared with Drury
While both have climbed the rankings to earn the GM title for the Rangers, they have some differences. First off – it’s important to note that when Gorton took over, the team was no longer a legit contender for the Stanley Cup. Meanwhile, Drury moved quickly to end the rebuild and begin a new postseason era.
While entering a rebuild wasn’t an issue, it was more about the timing of it. Gorton in his first season as GM in 2015-16 decided to buy at the trade deadline despite the core starting to show clear signs of wear and tear and being left without a first-round pick for the fourth consecutive season with the Eric Staal trade. It came at the expense of two second-round picks and Finnish prospect Aleksi Saarela and the season after, Gorton decided to buy again and trade for Brendan Smith for a third and a second-round pick. That cost the Rangers more assets that could have helped with the rebuild, which was kicked off just ahead of the 2018 Trade Deadline. The teardown involved the front office dealing J.T. Miller, Rick Nash, and captain Ryan McDonagh.
Again the timing was questionable. At the 2016 NHL Draft, the New York Post reported that the Rangers were working on a trade that would have sent McDonagh to the Edmonton Oilers for the fourth overall pick in 2016 to select Clayton Keller, who has been a four-time All-Star in his NHL career (from ‘The blockbuster Rangers-Oilers McDonagh trade that never was,’ New York Post, Jan. 26, 2019). The move would have been far better than waiting until 2018 to package the former captain in a deal with Miller to only get back Vladislav Nemestnikov, Brett Howden, and Libor Hajek, along with a late 2018 first and a second-round selection in 2019. None of the players acquired or drafted are playing for the Rangers currently.
Drury, meanwhile, hasn’t been afraid to pull the trigger on a trade if he thought it was necessary. In his first season as GM, he most notably acquired Frank Vatrano and Andrew Copp at the trade deadline to give his team a boost for the playoffs. Then, the season after he made two big splashes by acquiring Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane. Sure, both deadlines cost the Rangers multiple first-rounders and other picks – but Drury has been willing to pay the price to win. So far, in three seasons as GM, the Connecticut native has two Eastern Conference Final appearances. But let’s not forget Gorton’s master class in getting Mika Zibanejad, with somehow a second-round pick for Derick Brassard and a seventh. That trade is still doing wonders for the Rangers today.
Also, Drury hasn’t hesitated to make a coaching change. Just days into the job he fired David Quinn and brought in Gerard Gallant. Then he made a change after a disappointing 2023 postseason exit and hired Peter Laviolette, which has clearly worked out. Gorton, meanwhile, probably hung onto Alain Vigneault too long and hired just one coach from 2015-2020.
But the aggressiveness sometimes backfires. Drury in his first season leading the front office traded away his star winger and best two-way forward, Pavel Buchnevich, for a second-round pick and Sammy Blais. The move was made to clear both cap space and offer more ice time to young players including Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko. Would Gorton have traded his star winger for that underwhelming return? Probably not. While the Buchnevich trade doesn’t define Drury’s entire tenure – it’s turned into one of the worst in franchise history.
Drafting Is Tougher to Evaluate for Drury Now
When it comes to drafting, it’s tough to evaluate the performance of Drury’s drafts because he’s only been the GM for a few seasons. While Brennan Othmann, Gabriel Perreault, and perhaps EJ Emery could be significant pieces for the Rangers in the future, we’ll have a better idea in two to three years from now. It’s up to the organization to develop them into the best possible players they can be.
But we do have a better idea of Gorton’s track record. First off, the Rangers have failed to draft an NHLer in the 2015 and 2016 Drafts. In Gorton’s defense, his predecessor traded away both first-round picks for those drafts – so he was left with a limited number of selections to work with. His first real draft was in 2017 when he had two firsts, which turned into Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil. Andersson, who was picked seventh overall, is in the conversation for one of the worst picks the Rangers have ever made. Maybe development was an issue but Gorton at least was able to trade the Swedish center a few years later for a second-round pick, which became Will Cuylle. So credit where it was due, as a full disaster was avoided; Cuylle looks like he might be a staple in the Rangers’ bottom six for years to come. Chytil, at 21st overall, has brought a dynamic skillset to the table. Injuries have been a concern – but when healthy he’s more than capable of locking down the third-line center role and slotting into the top six when needed.
The next year, Gorton started the rebuild and had three first-round picks to work with and four picks in the top 40. To his credit, his scouts swung for the fences in the first round with Vitali Kravtsov, K’Andre Miller, and Nils Lundkvist. But unfortunately, only Miller remains with the Rangers now. He has locked down a spot as a top-four defenseman and still has the potential to play on the first pair. Kravtsov and Lundkvist were high-upside picks – but were not fits for Gallant and his coaching staff. And picking Olof Lindbom at 39th overall just never made sense from day one. The Rangers needed to add as many top skaters in the draft as possible to a weak prospect pool. Adding a goalie that early, which has always been a strength of the organization, just felt like a wasted pick.
Next year’s draft was much better. While Kappo Kakko hasn’t lived up to the hype at second overall, it looks like Gorton’s scouts may have found something in Zac Jones, and maybe even with Adam Edstrom in the mid and later rounds. In 2020, he would get lottery luck again and select Lafreniere, who now is emerging as a star, at first overall. Trading up for Braden Schneider was also a good move, who at the very least should be a very dependable bottom-pairing defenseman for years to come. Cuylle in the second round should have a long NHL career. Brett Berard in the fifth round could challenge for a spot next season, and sixth-round pick Matt Rempe might be a fourth-line menace.
To sum that up, it appears Gorton early in his Rangers GM tenure missed opportunities – but his drafts improved each year. It’s a mixed bag for Gorton, who has made far more picks under a rebuild compared to Drury.
No doubt, both have contributed to the Rangers’ success today. Drury made some big mistakes early on and so did Gorton. Gorton missed on some critical draft picks – but may have hit on some players outside of the first round. The jury is still out on Drury, who has come close twice to winning a Stanley Cup in three years. But going forward, he can’t shy away from making a big deal just because he’s made mistakes. You only get so many chances at the Cup and who knows, 2024-25 could be the last crack at it for a while.
