Gorton: ‘I feel confident that we’re picking at No. 5’  | Montréal Canadiens

Gorton on using the draft and free agency to fast track the program to improve the team:

Going forward, we have to look at it like that all the time now. We’re looking at a bunch of scenarios unrelated to the draft that might be able to do that. That’s our job. We always want to have a better team when we come back. That’s what we’re in the process of now doing, looking at those scenarios. It would be nice to add to the group moving forward. […] We’re trying to improve the team every day. It’s boring to say, but that’s the truth. We’re trying to seize any opportunity that comes our way.

Gorton also mentioned during his press conference that he feels the team can be in the mix for the playoffs next season. As for the open market, he says the Habs brass has gone through scenarios of what kind of players they might be looking at in that instance, but that it is likely too soon to make the biggest splash in the free agent pool on July 1 or beyond.

“I think it’s too soon. We’ll look and see what those big names are thinking. They have to be thinking the same thing we are too. We have a lot of young players that are developing and opportunities that they need to play. I wouldn’t want to stunt somebody’s growth for an older player on a longer-term deal that would setback the rebuild,” Gorton told reporters.