Ladies and gentlemen: JD and the Straight Fired. The Rangers have fired general manager Jeff Gorton and team president John Davidson, per reports, in a shocking move that no one in the NHL saw coming. Gorton had been employed by the Rangers since 2015, acting as the team's GM in that span. During that time, the team acquired Artemi Panarin and navigated a rebuild on the fly, developing a core of young, talented players in the proce s. MORE: Davidson Goran Dragic Jersey , though, is the more surprising firing: The long-time Ranger fan favorite and front-office exec got the ax, as well, despite being in the role for le s than two years. He was hired on May 17, 2019. Chris Drury, former Ranger, gets the nod to a sume both GM and president roles: Chris Drury will be President & GM of NYR Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) The Rangers are coming off a disappointing 26-21-6 season, mi sing out on the Stanley Cup playoffs again under head coach David Quinn. Here's why both Gorton and Davidson got the ax. Why did the Rangers fire Jeff Gorton and John Davidson? There are conflicting reports on the exact reason why both front office executives are heading to the unemployment line. The predominant reports indicate that team owner James Dolan was simply unhappy with the team's production in 2020-21, mi sing out on the Stanley Cup playoffs with just three games left. However, there is word Dolan was unhappy with this NYR season and wanted to make a change. Seems crazy to me, because they have a come a long, long way in two years...but hes the owner. Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) I'm still gathering info, but what I'm hearing is that this did not have to do with 's statement about Tom Wilson. Rather, this is something owner Jim Dolan had been mulling. Even though rebuild is going well by most accounts, wasn't happening fast enough for him. Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) Im told the firing of Gorton and Davidson by NYR is coincidental and not related to the statement i sued yesterday related to Tom Wilson. Another source says ownership felt the Rangers underachieved this season. Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) Others say that Davidson and Gorton distancing themselvesfrom the Rangers' , calling for thehead of NHL Player Safety George Parros' resignation, ultimately led to the firing. Sources say that president John Davidson and GM Jeff Gorton scurried to distance themselves from the team statement that was i sued on Tuesday night, telling other executives that they did not know it was in the works until after it was released. Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) Some reports have said that the firing is purely coincidental. Still, the Rangers seem to be ahead of the timeline they set for themselves a few years ago, when a letter to fans addre sed the team's intentions to undergo a rebuild. Since then, the team has drafted Kaapo Kakko, Alexis Lafreniere, Filip Chytil and K'Andre Miller, who have made their marks as members of the core. They've also acquired Adam Fox, Jacob Trouba and Artemi Panerin either via trade or free agency. Chris Drury will a sume GM and president duties. Bam Adebayo Jersey