It’s finally (almost) here, the NHL draft is upon us, and for one last time before proceedings get underway, Montreal Canadiens’ executive vice president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton spoke to the media. While he didn’t say anything earth-shattering, there are still a few interesting tidbits of information to report.

Unsurprisingly, Gorton confirmed that the Canadiens were currently studying all possible avenues regarding their two first-round picks; they are exploring the possibilities of moving up, moving down, or staying put in the draft. He also added that if they do stay put, they are confident they’ll be able to pick a good player since there are quality players expected to be on the board. When asked if Montreal had been involved with J.J. Peterka, he explained that he couldn’t discuss other team players, but did say that whenever someone becomes available in the league, they look at it and assess the situation.

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He also discussed that there are a lot of buyers around this year, we have plenty of teams looking to take the next step, meaning it’s a seller's market, and making moves is likely to be expensive. Gorton also said he wasn’t big on the decentralized draft idea; he prefers having agents on hand to speak to and hold meetings, rather than doing everything over the phone.

His most interesting comment, for me, was when he said that while there’s always a temptation to improve your team, you must be wary of making a move that turns out to be wrong. It’s worse to bring in a player that’s not the right fit, be it on the ice or in the room, than to stay put.

He was, of course, asked the age-old question of whether he feels any pressure to pick a local prospect, given that Justin Carbonneau is ranked right around where the Canadiens are currently set to decide. He was categorical: no. He compared it to people asking when he was in Boston to pick a local player, and he added that we didn’t do that either. That’s the only correct answer. If you want to build a winner, you pick the best players, wherever they are from and whichever language they speak.

On Kirby Dach, Gorton explained that he was in town about 10 days ago, training for a week and meeting with team staff and doctors. He’s looking excellent health-wise, and the executive even said that he was ahead of schedule. Perhaps a sign that what Gorton and Kent Hughes said at his exit meeting stuck with the center, and that he’s very aware of how pivotal a year this coming one will be for him.

The first round of the draft is set to kick off on Friday at 7:00 PM, and considering the number of teams currently trying to make a move, I wouldn’t advise missing the start.

Photo credit: Eric Bolte - Imagn Images

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