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

LAS VEGAS – Jeff Gorton wore his best poker face in Las Vegas on Thursday.

As you would expect, the Canadiens executive vice president of hockey operations didn’t budge on showing his cards to the media ahead of this weekend’s 2024 NHL Draft, but Gorton did offer some insight to what might be in store for Friday and Saturday at Sphere.

Here are a few highlights from his press conference:

Please note that some answers have been modified for clarity and conciseness.

Gorton on the probability of keeping or trading the 5th and 26th overall picks:

We’re having a lot of conversations about what’s the right scenario for us; whether you stay where you are, what you’re going to do at No. 26, etc. There’s a lot going on and there’s a lot of conversations. It’s exciting and I’m looking forward to how it’s going to play out […] I wouldn’t want to lie to you and say yes, 100%, but I feel confident that we’re picking at No. 5. Like I said, 24 hours ahead, the phone’s still ringing, and things are still happening. But listen, No. 5 is a great opportunity for us. It’s a season where you’re a lottery team and you want to take advantage in the draft of that type of year you had.

Gorton on if they have identified a player they want with the 5th overall pick:

We’ve been going through scenarios of what it might look like at No. 5 for months now. We are at the mercy of some other teams and the decisions they make, too. So, we’re making educated guesses just like (the media) are. I think we’re comfortable with our list. It’s not going to change. We’re going to live with our list. It is what it is and we’re looking forward to it.

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.