It’s been a week since the New York Rangers relieved GM Jeff Gorton and President John Davidson of their duties, sending huge shock waves across the hockey world. Like most, I believe that this was a totally wrong-headed move by owner Jim Dolan for a number of reasons. It’s been two years since GM Jeff Gorton PUBLICLY announced that the Rangers would be entering a rebuilding phase after they missed the 2018 playoffs. It was clear that the “rebuild” was heading in the right direction as the free agents that they signed, as well as the players that they selected in the draft, were performing well. A notable player who they acquired through a blockbuster trade, forward Artemi Panarin, has given them everything that they could have wanted.
After the firing of Gorton and Davidson, Dolan released a statement thanking the two execs “for their contributions to the organization” and calling them”great hockey professionals who worked hard for the Rangers.” His stated rationale for the firing was that the rebuild wasn’t happening fast enough and that “ in order for the team to succeed in the manner our fans deserve, there needs to be a change in leadership.”
Something here doesn’t sit right with anyone who has been following the Rangers and who knows anything about hockey. Gorton has been a great success in my opinion, and in the opinion of many Rangers fans, as well as of many in the media who cover the NHL.
Here are some of the top players who Gorton was able to acquire for the Rangers during his tenure as GM:
- Artemi Panarin (July, 2019- Signed as UFA)
- Adam Fox (April 2019- Acquired from Hurricanes)
- Alexis Lafreniere (2020 Draft #1 Overall Pick)
- Mika Zibanejad (July, 2016- Acquired from Senators)
- Igor Shesterkin- Goalie (118th Overall Pick in 2014)
The ascent of the Rangers (they barely missed the playoffs this season) is a direct result of what Gorton and Davidson have done. It’s difficult to imagine what more ownership could have wanted out of the front office. The Rangers had been on a 16-6-3 run prior to May 3rd, when the incident which I will describe in detail later in this article, occurred. During this run, the Rangers scored an average of 3.64 goals per game and they were very well within reach of the 4th playoff spot in the Eastern division, until last week. The Rangers made the Bruins earn every bit of the last playoff spot which they stole from the Rangers.
If this had been a full 82 game season, there is no reason to believe that they wouldn’t have made the playoffs. During the month of April, Adam Fox led the league in assists, Mika Zibanejad led the league in goals, and Artemi Panarin led the league in points. Those are three big time superstars that are going to be the main engine for the Rangers going forward with Lafreniere and Kakko at the back end who have yet to reach their full potential. This team has been sending a clear message to all the contenders in the East throughout the season: “We are for real.” All these moves were made by Jeff Gorton himself. According to the NY Daily News, “The consensus around the league was that the rebuild was going well, with the Rangers in position to add this coming offseason with roughly $27 million in projected salary cap space.”
Therefore, there had to be a cause for these firings other than that dissatisfaction with Gorton and Davidson’s roster moves. Based on what I have read and heard from New York media sources, it seems that the true reason for the firing of Gorton and Davidson is that the two would not support Dolan’s call to have Director of NHL Player Safety George Parros fired. Dolan wanted Parros removed because of how he handled an on-ice incident during the Rangers/Capitals game on May 3 in which Capitals forward Tom Wilson body-slammed Rangers forward Panarin, injuring him. Parros decided not to suspend Wilson for this flagrant violation, instead fining him a paltry 5,000.00.
The Rangers front office released a statement which was extremely critical of Parros’ decision which read:
“The New York Rangers are extremely disappointed that Capitals forward Tom Wilson was not suspended for his horrifying act of violence last night at Madison Square Garden. Wilson is a repeat offender with a long history of these type(s) – grammatical correction mine – of acts and we find it shocking that the NHL and their Department of Player Safety failed to take the appropriate action and suspend him indefinitely.
Wilson’s dangerous and reckless actions caused an injury to Artemi Panarin that will prevent him from playing again this season. We view this as a dereliction of duty by NHL head of player safety, George Parros, and believe he is unfit to continue in his current role.”
According to the NY Daily News, the true reason for the dismissal of Gorton and Davidson is that they wouldn’t support Dolan’s call for Parros to be removed from his role overseeing NHL player safety. “The impulsive Dolan has a history of dumping MSG execs for daring to disagree with him”, wrote Bob Raissman. Later in the article, Raissman goes on to describe Dolan as “impetuous and irrational.” This reader, for one, would have to agree.
Bibliography:
“James Dolan skates off easy after firing Rangers execs John Davidson and Jeff Gorton”, Bob Raissman, New York Daily News (www.nydailynews.com) , May 8, 2021
“’Dereliction of duty’: New York Rangers rip NHL Department of Player Safety for not suspending Tom Wilson”, Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Daily News (www.nydailynews.com) , May 4, 2021
