New York Rangers: Should they re-sign John Gilmour?

The New York Rangers have a ton of NHL-ready defensemen signed for next season. One of the team’s long-term projects, John Gilmour, is an unrestricted free agent this summer and the Rangers have yet another decision to make about his future.

The New York Rangers have been stocking up on defensive talent.  Just last summer, the Rangers selected two defensemen in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft. More recently, the team traded for and immediately signed Adam Fox, who was previously in the Carolina Hurricane’s organization.

These additions, as well as international talent coming over, players that have been traded for, and those already on the roster, have created a bit of a log jam on the back-end. This eight man pile up (not including the Rangers’ three restricted free agents) has left a long-term project in the balance. John Gilmour has been a part of the Rangers’ organization since he graduated from Providence College in 2016.

Gilmour signed a two-year entry-level contract and immediately rewarded the Rangers. His rookie professional season was overall very good. He played in all 76 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack and finished second in scoring among all Hartford defensemen.

The six-foot, 190 pound lefty followed that up with another solid season, one in which he split the season between the AHL and NHL. He appeared in 28 NHL games, but his success there was limited. His AHL season was much better as he was named the league’s fastest skater and led the Hartford defense in assists. He re-signed to a one year contract after the 2017-18 season.

This most recent season saw Gilmour stuck in the minor leagues for the vast majority of the season. He played another 70 games with the Wolf Pack, only getting a short cameo with the Rangers at the end of the season.  Although Hartford’s top offensive defenseman, when it came time for call-ups to the NHL, he was bypassed in favor of Libor Hajek and Ryan Lindgren.

So, Where Does This Leave Gilmour?

This massive logjam leaves John Gilmour’s place in the organization in the balance. The 26-year old is currently an unrestricted free agent. He continues to be pushed down the organizational depth chart.

Even though organizational depth is one of the most important things a young team like these Rangers can have, I don’t believe they should re-sign Gilmour. At this point, his looks to have been overtaken by the younger talent around him; Both Libor Hajek and Ryan Lindgren got better looks at the NHL level and Yegor Rykov, the Russian talent acquired from the Devils in the Michael Grabner trade, just signed his entry-level contract.

Gilmour is at a turning point in his career. He may have the talent to make it in the NHL, but he just doesn’t fit the mold of what the Rangers need right now. He’s entering his prime as a bottom pairing defenseman for a team that isn’t ready to compete just yet. The Rangers don’t need Gilmour, and at this point, he doesn’t need the Rangers either.