Stu Cowan: Jeff Gorton pleased with tempo of Canadiens' rebuilding job

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Nearly a year-and-a-half into his rebuilding job of the Canadiens, Jeff Gorton hasn’t misplaced his sense of humour.

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When the chief vice-president of hockey operations and normal supervisor Kent Hughes met with the media Friday afternoon in Brossard for his or her end-of-season information convention, Gorton was sporting an earpiece so he may get translation from French to English. Gorton famous he didn’t want any translation for “beaucoup blessures.”

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“I’ve heard that so much,” he stated in regards to the Canadiens setting an NHL report for accidents with greater than 700 man-games misplaced.

When requested if he was going to be again in Montreal subsequent season, referring to a report by former NHLer Nick Kypreos that Gorton could be eager about a GM job elsewhere, Gorton responded: “Why, are you already sick of me?”

Gorton then added: “I’m coming again, sure. These have been simply rumours.”

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Accidents have been an enormous drawback for the Canadiens this season as they completed twenty eighth within the total standings with a 31-45-6 report and there are respectable questions on how the workforce dealt with them.

Brendan Gallagher revealed Friday that he broke his proper ankle whereas blocking a shot through the 14th sport of the season and continued to play eight video games after that earlier than lacking 13 video games. He returned to play three video games, broke the identical ankle once more and missed 45 video games complete this season.

Sean Monahan performed a couple of video games on a damaged foot and revealed Friday that compensating for that damage led to the groin damage that required surgical procedure and ended his season after he had solely performed 25 video games.

Hughes stated the Canadiens might want to do a greater job defending gamers from themselves.

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“Hear, I feel we’re all aware, we’re all in dialogue about what’s occurring with the accidents in our course of and we’re going to undergo it and evaluation it,” Gorton stated. “When you could have this many accidents, I do suppose luck was not on our facet right here. However we even have to take a look at every thing else, too, and we’re going to try this. Actually, when a participant performs on a damaged foot you don’t like to listen to that and we’ll discuss to our gamers about being a little bit extra forthright with us. However I feel you’d be shocked how typically a few of these guys are enjoying harm.”

The Canadiens have been capable of make progress this season regardless of all of the accidents, enhancing by 13 factors after being the worst workforce within the NHL final season. There wasn’t a lot stress on the workforce, however that stress will improve as this rebuild continues.

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“I don’t really feel stress,” Hughes stated. “I type of really feel like I’m coming right here and I’ve received a job to do in my very own head and I’m going to attempt to do it and I’m going to do my finest and hopefully I’m profitable. However I’m not going to vary how I am going about doing one thing primarily based on exterior stress, rightly or wrongly. It’s type of how I’m constructed. However I do know that as a workforce gamers will really feel that elevated stress to carry out.

“We’ve received numerous younger hockey gamers,” Hughes added. “We would like them to begin to take possession not just for their very own, however for the collective right here. However it’s a stability. If we push too far in a single path we run the danger of compromising improvement. … I don’t know if we’re going to make the playoffs (subsequent season), however we’re not coming into the season saying it’s a foregone conclusion. We need to push to attempt to make the playoffs. If we don’t make the playoffs, that’s advantageous. It’s what it’s so long as alongside the best way we’ve seen a terrific effort and we’ve seen people progress and we see our workforce shifting in that path. However we’re not going into the season saying we’re out of the playoffs.”

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5 years in the past, when Gorton was GM of the New York Rangers, a letter was despatched to followers stating their plans for a rebuild. Final season, the Rangers superior to the Jap Convention ultimate earlier than shedding to the Tampa Bay Lightning and this season they completed third within the Metropolitan Division with a 47-22-13 report.

Gorton sees comparables with what’s occurring now within the early levels of this Canadiens rebuild.

“In some unspecified time in the future, the followers’ expectations are going to be there to win extra frequently,” Gorton stated. “However I might simply ask for a little bit extra endurance and perceive it’s coming. I want it was tomorrow, I hope it’s tomorrow, however let’s see what these guys can do. Let’s see what sort of summer season we have now, let’s see if Kent could make some magic and we’ll go ahead like that.

“I imagine on this group,” Gorton added. “I feel we have now numerous good gamers. There’s numerous good issues occurring.”

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