The NHL Rangers "have not granted permission" to the Bruins to speak with Assistant GM Jeff Gorton, who is on the Bruins' "wish list" in their search for a successor to recently fired GM Peter Chiarelli, according to Larry Brooks of the N.Y. POST. Rangers President & GM Glen Sather, whose team is currently playing in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, said, "I haven’t given permission to anybody to speak to anyone and I won’t as long as we’re playing. And there’s a question whether I would, anyway, after it’s over." Gorton, a member of the Rangers' front office "for eight years and assistant GM for the last four, previously spent 15 years as part of Bruins management until his dismissal" in '07 (N.Y. POST, 5/5). In Boston, Steve Conroy writes Sather is "nothing if not consistent" regarding Gorton, as he reportedly refused to give the Penguins permission to speak with Gorton after Ray Shero was fired. As the Rangers played into last year's Stanley Cup Final, the Penguins "went about their business and hired Jim Rutherford." Conroy cites sources as saying that Bruins Assistant GM Don Sweeney is "still the strong favorite for the job," but Gorton "would be next on the list" (BOSTON HERALD, 5/5).
