Rangers Sign Forward Brian Gibbons
Jul 1, 2015(Photo by Jamie Sabau/NHLI via Getty Images)
New York Rangers General Manager Jeff Gorton announced today that the team has agreed to terms with free agent forward Brian Gibbons.
Gibbons, 27, split this past season between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League (AHL). In 25 games with Columbus, Gibbons recorded five assists, along with a plus-two rating and eight penalty minutes. He tied single-game NHL career-highs with two assists and two points while making his season debut on November 1 at New Jersey. In addition, Gibbons posted a plus/minus rating of even or better in 21 of 25 contests with the Blue Jackets.
In 26 games with Springfield, Gibbons registered three goals and eight assists for 11 points, along with 14 penalty minutes. He posted back-to-back multi-point games on October 25 vs. Norfolk and October 26 vs. Syracuse (one goal, three assists over the span), and he tallied a season-high three points (two goals, one assist), including the game-winning goal, on February 22 vs. Albany.
The 5-8, 170-pounder has skated in 66 career NHL games over parts of two seasons with Pittsburgh and Columbus, registering five goals and 17 assists for 22 points, along with a plus-seven rating and 14 penalty minutes. Gibbons tallied his first career NHL goal, assist, and point as part of a two-point effort while making his NHL debut with the Penguins on November 18, 2013 vs. Anaheim. In addition, he has recorded three points (two goals, one assist), along with a plus-two rating in eight career NHL playoff games. He made his NHL playoff debut in Game 1 of the First Round vs. Columbus on April 16, 2014, and he tallied his first career NHL playoff goal/point as part of a two-goal effort in Game 2 of the First Round vs. Columbus on April 19, 2014.
Gibbons has skated in 194 career AHL games, registering 33 goals and 68 assists for 101 points, along with 117 penalty minutes. He has tallied 14 goals and 27 assists for 41 points in 54 AHL games over the last two seasons, and he participated in the 2014 AHL All-Star Game.
The Braintree, Massachusetts native was originally signed by Pittsburgh as a free agent on April 4, 2011.