New York Rangers 2017-18 Report Card: John Gilmour
Upon being called up to join the New York Rangers roster in the latter half of the season, John Gilmour proved to be a solid addition to the New York Rangers roster in the latter half of the 2017-18 season. With his first NHL games out of the way, where does he fall in comparison to his teammates?
John Gilmour spent a majority of his season with the Hartford Wolf Pack where he recorded six goals and 20 assists for 26 points in 44 games.
When the Rangers lost Kevin Shattenkirk and Ryan McDonagh to injury, they called upon young defensemen like Gilmour to step up. The 24-year-old proved that he has what it takes to be successful, but needs some refinement.
Gilmour played in 28 games for the New York Rangers and his strongest ability came on the offensive end. In these 28 games, Gilmour registered two goals and three assists for five points.
He proved that he is an excellent transition player because of his great vision and skating ability.
Gilmour registred good numbers in the offensive zone. He was able to play the blueline and effectively drive possession, recording a Corsi-For of 51.87. This is a respectable number for a young rookie just coming into the league.
On top of this, he took 61 shots on net in these games (2.18 per game) and recorded a shooting percentage of 3.28.
His second goal of the season was a more impressive one, as he scored on a low angle shot to land the Rangers an overtime win against Vancouver.
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Putting things in perspective
These kinds of numbers on the offensive end are extremely positive. However, Gilmour’s numbers on the defensive end, which should be his foscus, are slightly concerning.
Gilmour recorded some low numbers in some of the most important defensive areas. While his on-ice goals for total was 17, his on ice goals against was 28.
On ice save percentage measures the number of chances that end up on net. Simply put, the higher the percentage recorded, the easier the saves for the goaltender.
Gilmour did not end his season with the highest statistics in this area, recording just 89.5%.
There are areas where Gilmour needs to improve in order to gain more consistency. But the good news is that all there will be a new coaching staff coming in next season. Hopefully, the development of players like Gilmour will be a focus with this group of young players that joined the roster.
However, you also have to question if Gilmour will be on the roster next season. Gilmour is one of the seven players who ended the season who will enter into restricted free agency this offseason.
Regardless of what happens in the future, Gilmour managed to be a positive force and helped bring a jump to the New York Rangers’ game in the latter half of the season.
Next: New York Rangers 2017-18 Report Card: Paul Carey
He plays a confident game, and while his game needs some refinement, we were able to see the raw skill that could make him great.