The Ducks have traded goalie John Gibson to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for goalie Petr Mrázek, a 2027 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-rounder, both teams confirmed on Saturday.
For the second time in less than a year, the Ducks dealt away their longest-tenured player after sending Cam Fowler to the St. Louis Blues in December.
Gibson, 31, performed well when available last season but was in and out of the mix with injuries, all while pending restricted free agent Lukáš Dostál’s star ascended rapidly. Toward the end of the campaign, General Manager Pat Verbeek was dealing with an injury to Gibson and another minor-league starter Tomas Suchanek, prompting a deal for veteran Ville Husso from Detroit.
Here, the Ducks get another seasoned netminder from the Wings to play behind Dostál in Mrázek. Mrázek, 33, and Dostál, 25, both hail from Czechia, and Slovak goalie coach Peter Budaj was born in the former Czechoslovakia. Mrázek is set to make $4.25 million against the cap next year, while Gibson’s two seasons at a $6.4 million annual average value were offloaded without retention.
Gibson was originally a second-round pick in the 2011 draft, winning gold with Team USA at the U18 and U20 levels. He made his debut in 2013-14 during the regular season before making a major impact in the playoffs. He entered the second-round series against the eventual champion Kings in 2014 and came up with two consecutive wins to swing the series in the Ducks’ favor, 3-2, only to lose Games 6 and 7 in a sight that was all too familiar to former coach Bruce Boudreau’s Ducks.
He went on to become a three-time NHL All-Star (2016, 2019 and 2022). No goalie has played more games, won more games or lost more games than Gibson in Ducks franchise history. In 2016, he combined with Freddie Andersen to win the Williams Jennings Trophy for the fewest goals allowed.
“We want to thank John for his time with our organization and being an integral part of the Ducks for more than a decade,” Verbeek said in a statement. “It became clear John wanted a new opportunity, and after many discussions with him, we felt now was the right time to make this move. John and his family became a major part of the community and their dedication to Orange County will leave a lasting impact. We wish John and his family all the best in their next chapter.”