When Jeff Gorton traded Derek Stepan for Anthony DeAngelo and company, popular opinion became that the General Manager had another trick up his sleeve. Yet it’s September, and the New York Rangers remain lacking a top six center replacement for Stepan.
The easy answer to questions regarding the gap up front is that Jeff Gorton is playing the waiting game. Teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers are still figuring out their salary cap issues, and may be willing to move players such as Tyler Bozak or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
Gorton cannot decide for other teams that they must move their players, so it appears he is waiting out the market.