Jeff Gorton Makes An Outstanding First Impression
Jeff Gorton has had a great first summer with the Rangers.
Social media has completely changed the way we follow sports. We live in a "by the second" world where information is available to us the minute we look at our phones and we can research information, formulate arguments and debate for eternity from any mobile device of your choosing and any location as well.
This has also changed the way we perceive players and management when we follow a team. Fans as a whole look for instant analysis and results. The "what have you done for me now" craze has caused some of the hottest takes out there but it's also the first basis used when people think about judging a team's move or event.
But not matter how you slice his first summer in New York as the man in charge, Jeff Gorton has had a spectacular summer. You only get the chance to make one first impression, and I really can't think of a better summer the Rangers have had in recent memory.
Every single move the Rangers made externally were seeped in logic. Raphael Diaz and Viktor Stalberg were both brought in as cheap players who instantly make the Rangers deeper and better. Gorton also acquired Antti Raanta and Magnus Hellberg to increase the Rangers goaltending depth which was needed after the Cam Talbot trade and Mackenzie Skapski injury.
Internally he did an even better job. He locked up Jesper Fast and Oscar Lindberg to very efficient two-year deals. Then he got both Emerson Etem and J.T. Miller to accept their qualifying offers -- although it should be noted they did this to keep their arbitration rights -- before finalizing a six-year deal worth $6.5-million for Derek Stepan.
There are still little moves to be made. The Rangers have to many defenseman on the roster right now, and with Dylan McIlrath needing waivers if he doesn't make the team it seems unlikely the Rangers won't think about moving him. Or maybe they move Kevin Klein. Or maybe they stick with Klein and leave Diaz as the seventh defenseman. Or maybe Brady Skjei makes a good impression himself and overhauls the entire line of thinking. There are a few moving parts there, but you can pretty much bank on something happening with the defensive corps, even if it's minor.
The situation is similar when it comes to the forwards, too. Lindberg's one-way deal seems to signify the team's expectation is for him to make the big club out of camp, although that leaves one too many forwards on the roster. Maybe Tanner Glass gets moved or buried (good) or maybe Stalberg gets the Lee Stempniak treatment (bad). Either way, something is going to happen there, too.
So Gorton's not done yet, but it's fair to say the big stuff is taken care of.
And he's created a fantastic first impression doing so.
