In a twist that could have dramatically altered the future of two NHL franchises, a major rumor involving the Montreal Canadiens and New York Islanders has just been confirmed by respected journalist David Pagnotta.

For months, whispers circulated about a behind-the-scenes power play, but only now has the truth come to light—and it’s more sensational than anyone could have imagined.

The Islanders, hungry for a new direction, set their sights on a key figure within the Canadiens organization, pushing hard to lure him away for their own ambitious plans. Montreal’s front office was forced to make critical decisions to protect their core, and the ripple effects of these secret negotiations could have changed the fate of star players and the very makeup of both teams.

What exactly happened behind closed doors, and how close did the Canadiens come to losing one of their most influential leaders? The fallout from this attempted “heist” is still being felt, and fans on both sides are left wondering what might have been. Dive into the full story to uncover the details of this high-stakes NHL drama and find out what it means for the future of the Canadiens—and the Islanders.

Photo of Canadiens and Islanders

Photo credit: Habsfanatics/NHL

The renowned journalist David Pagnotta has just confirmed a rumor that circulated quite a bit a few months ago, involving the Montreal Canadiens and the Islanders.

Pagnotta is able to confirm that the New York Islanders indeed tried to “steal” Jeff Gorton from the Canadiens or, at the very least, he confirms that they were seriously hoping to hire him as their new general manager.

In the end, the Canadiens did what was necessary to keep Gorton’s services, which was absolutely the right decision.

Jeff Gorton is doing phenomenal work alongside Kent Hughes, and it makes perfect sense to want to keep him long-term in Montreal.

It’s also worth mentioning that, if Gorton had become the new general manager of the New York Islanders, it’s easy to imagine that Noah Dobson wouldn’t be a Canadiens player today.

David Pagnotta confirms that the New York Islanders really wanted to hire Jeff Gorton as general manager

We’re very happy it didn’t happen in the end..

“Islanders had Gorton high in their radar of executives to pursue in the spring and were told no. Makes sense for Habs to extend both Gorton and Hughes, given this club’s trajectory.”

– David Pagnotta

Speaking of Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes, let’s recall that journalist Renaud Lavoie revealed the Canadiens are reportedly working on contract extensions for both men.

So we can expect to benefit from the services of the Kent Hughes-Jeff Gorton duo in Montreal for quite a while longer!