Designing an NHL roster is a great challenge and why the average tenure of active G.M.’s right now is only four and a half years. In fact, there are four G.Ms entering their first season with their respective franchise. In the case of the New York Rangers, their G.M., Jeff Gorton, is entering his fourth season in the position.
The degree of difficulty for Gorton has evolved over time since taking the job. When Gorton was promoted from the assistant G.M. job during the summer of 2015, he was taking over a team that was coming off of a President’s trophy win and a trip to the Eastern Conference Final.