Quinn evaluating Gilmour after recall

The Rangers left themselves the final 10 games of the season in which to evaluate John Gilmour before the 25-year-old defenseman can opt to become a free agent on July 1.

That is likely “the timing” to which David Quinn referred in not quite explaining why the organization made the move to recall Gilmour from Hartford prior to Tuesday’s 3-2 Bottom Feeder Bowl defeat to the Red Wings at the Garden after allowing him to languish in the AHL all year despite posting eye-opening num- bers with the Wolf Pack.

Of course, Gilmour, who would qualify as a Group VI free agent based on having played fewer than 80 NHL games by age 25, will have the same opportunity to judge the Blueshirts and his place on the organizational depth chart before deciding whether to hit the open market or sign an extension if one is offered.

Gilmour, who played 28 games with the Rangers last year after being recalled the day following The Letter, got 18:43 of ice Tuesday while paired primarily with Neal Pionk. He transported the puck well and had his high points defensively — nice job of getting back, and then defending against the speedy Andreas Athanasiou one-on-one late in the first — though he was unable to thwart Frans Nielsen from scoring the first goal off a rush.

“I liked his game,” Quinn said of the Providence College product who estab- lished a Hartford franchise record for defensemen by scoring 20 goals. “I thought he did a lot of good things with the puck, made some good anticipation plays. He certainly had some good moments.”

Gilmour must have endured moments of frustration throughout the season in which he did not get a call to New York until now. But the defenseman, signed by the Rangers as a free agent in 2016 after hav- ing been a seventh-round draft pick by Calgary in 2013, sure didn’t say so.

“You can’t be frustrated,” he said. “You have to take it day by day.”

➤ Lias Andersson got 10:45 centering the fourth line between Brendan Lemieux and Brendan Smith, as Jesper Fast was sidelined with an upper-body issue through which the winger has played for a couple of months.

“I’ve just got to play every game as if it’s my last one and work hard in practices,” Andersson said. “It’s a lot easier waking up in the mornings and going to work out over the summer if we have a strong end here. As a team and for myself, we have to keep battling.”

Before the game, Quinn was asked about getting Andersson more playing time.

“It’s a slippery slope,” he said. “Part of development is understanding you have to earn everything you get.

“I wrestle with this. Some games I see his minutes and I’m frustrated with myself. I’m going to make a more conscious effort [to play him more].”