NewNew York Rangers, John Gilmou
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The New York Rangers are taking one more look at defenseman John Gilmour before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Frank Curto

The New York Rangers recall of defenseman John Gilmour was done for two reasons. He is having an outstanding season with the Hartford Wolf Pack and he will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.

Gilmour qualifies as an unrestricted free agent due to the fact he has failed to play 80 games in the NHL before the age of 25. The defenseman appeared in 28 games with the Rangers last season, recording two goals and five points.

The recall will give David Quinn some perspective on whether or not the organization would be willing to offer Gilmour a new contract prior to free agency. At the same time, the defenseman can get a feel if the team truly has a spot on the roster for him to grow in the future.

In his first game with the team on Tuesday night, Gilmour was with Neal Pionk most of the time. He was fast with the puck and looked good transitioning from defense to offense with his only real mistake coming on the goal scored by Detroit’s Frans Nielsen.

On that scoring play, Gilmour found himself on the outside of the faceoff dots and Nielsen was able to get the inside lane position on Gilmour. He proceeded to skate towards the middle of the ice to beat Henrik Lundqvist for the goal and a Red Wings 1-0 lead at the time.

This will be a time for both the player and organization to help determine what’s best for everyone’s future. Nine games remain and John Gilmour is expected to see plenty of ice time in a variety of different situations.

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A graduate of St. John's University class of '91. I have been a fan of the New York Rangers since the days of Peter Puck. Founder of Ranger Proud, the Facebook page that covers all news, notes, pre /post-game stats, and player quotes. I can be reached at [email protected]