Canadiens EVP dismisses pressure of drafting Quebec-born players at 2025 NHL draft - "We don't feel the pressure to do that"

Montreal Canadiens executive vice president Jeff Gorton dismissed the notion that the team feels pressured to draft Quebec-born players with their two first-round picks in the 2025 NHL draft.

The Canadiens hold the 16th and 17th selections in the first round on Friday. This year's draft class features several highly touted prospects from Quebec, including center Caleb Desnoyers and Justin Carbonneau who are projected to be in the first round.

When asked if the Canadiens feel any pressure to choose homegrown players, Gorton rejected the idea on Thursday.

"It's exciting that Quebec has some guys that are at the top, a little higher than in the last couple of years. That's great. But we don't feel pressure to do that, to take players,” Gorton said.

He emphasized that Montreal already has a strong Quebec presence, from the NHL roster to the AHL affiliate in Laval to the front office and coaching staff.

"I think our team, if you look at us in Montreal, in Laval, even in Trois-Rivières, if you look at our staff members, we have a lot of Quebecois accounted for and we're not just going to take a player because of where they're from," he said.

Gorton noted the Canadiens will pick the best players available with their two first-rounders, regardless of where they were born or grew up.

The Canadiens EVP also commented on the current trade market, saying conversations are very active league-wide but there are fewer clear sellers than in past years.

Jeff Gorton on Montreal Canadiens' “rebuild”

Jeff Gorton updated on the team's progress and his plans for the future. He emphasized that the goal is to steadily improve each year:

"We want to keep moving this thing forward… We're not going to do anything to stunt that just to move it forward 5%."

Gorton acknowledged it will be challenging to make major improvements every season, but he is committed to building a team capable of sustaining success over an extended period.

"We're going to make decisions that fit into what we set out to do, which is to build a team that has the ability to compete every year for a long period," he said.

With the draft and free agency approaching, Gorton labeled this a "big weekend" and a "big summer" for the team.