Jeff Gorton was on SiriusXMNHL Radio this morning and said :
- On getting the season going, "we had our six games and we start with 55 guys and now we are down to our team and we are all pretty excited about the season getting started on Thursday."
- On David Quinn, "he's a lifetime hockey guy and played the game a long time ago and he has been coaching for a long time and as time has gone on he has evolved as a real good communicator and teacher and I think he is the right person for us at the right time and so far, 2-3 weeks, everything has been good and positive and everyday we are getting better."
- On Andersson and Chytil, "when you go seventh overall there are expectations that are higher than when you go 21st, we have kept, for now, Brett Howden. For us, you draft them and then wherever you take them you move on and try to develop them and see when it's time for them to come to the NHL, which isn't easy. Lias is a 19-year old player, he turns 20 soon. We looked at it like this, if we can't find him 10 minutes on our team then he is better in Hartford. We could have easily put him on our team and say that he is the 7th pick overall but in the long-term what is best for him is to play 20 minutes."
- What does Andersson need to add, "He is a strong kid, wide body, plays a 200 ft agitating game with skill and just trying to develop that and not put him on a fourth line and hold him there and maybe stunt his growth. There is more upside if we just keep him playing, PP, PK, play 20 minutes in Hartford and we can take a look at him in a month or so and see where he is at."
- On Chytil, "Chytil is a bit different, more flashy, real good skater, top-end skater. For now it was easier to put him in our top-three lines and find the ice time. For him, he is a flashy player and can really skate and move a puck and shoot and go 1-on-1. He will be an exciting player for the Rangers for a while."
- On Jimmy Vesey facing a pivotal year, "he has played two seasons for us, scored 15-16 goals. He's been a good player for us but for us to get him where he wants to go and be a goal scorer in this league and it's a huge year for him to have an impact. We have moved some bodies out and the opportunity is there for them and he needs to go to the net and be physical and get dirty and when he does that and play with emotion he is a very effective player and Jimmy knows that and I would look for him to have a big year in front of him."
- On Brendan Smith, "He struggled last year, didn't play well from the beginning and it was easy to point to conditioning, it's something that he addressed, it's a faster league all the time and to bulk up and be bigger to handle forwards in front of the net, I understand it, but the way the game is going we wanted him faster and lighter and he has addressed that and looked real good in camp. I'd say that it's a player that had a bad year and has a clean slate and so far has made the most of it as we head to the regular season."
