The Detroit Red Wings made their first significant move of the offseason on Saturday. Detroit acquired goaltender John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks. In exchange, the Ducks acquired goaltender Petr Mrazek and two future draft picks.
Gibson has long been in trade rumors. It’s felt as if he has been a trade candidate for 10 years, in fact. Discussions really ramped up over these more recent seasons as Anaheim has slipped down the standings. Now, he is off to the Motor City, playing outside of the Ducks organization for the first time in his career.
These trades rarely come out of nowhere. However, this one has its roots dating back sometime. Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman spoke to the media about the deal. He revealed that he held discussions with the Ducks during the 2024-25 season.
“(Ducks general manager) Pat (Verbeek) and I had some discussions last season around — if I recall — the Trade Deadline,” Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman said, via NHL.com. “John was dealing with some injuries at that time, so the timing didn’t really work. Leading up to the draft as we all do our offseason work, we had some discussions and as we got closer here, we were able to (make the trade).”
Why Red Wings Made The John Gibson Trade
Sean M. Haffey/Getty ImagesThe Detroit Red Wings hope John Gibson can improve their long inconsistent goaltending.
The Red Wings have struggled for years with inconsistent goaltending. Detroit has acquired multiple goalies over the last few years. All of them have had impressive stretches, but in the end, fell apart during the season due to playing long and uninterrupted stretches.
Gibson has long been a solid goaltender in the NHL. But he did struggle himself when the Ducks began sliding down the standings. To some extent, this changed in 2024-25. Gibson had a very good season, recording a .912 save percentage in 29 games.
This is a limited role, of course, and that is a factor that must be considered. However, his return to form corresponded to the Ducks making a leap. Detroit believes that he could thrive in an expanded role on what they believe to be a better overall team.
“You know, as Anaheim has gone through their rebuilding process, that probably affected his play a little bit. As their team gets better, they have a good young goaltender in (Lukas) Dostal. John is looking for more opportunity to play and we’re counting on him, obviously, to give us quality starts and upgrade our team net,” Yzerman said, via NHL.com.
Ducks Find Right Deal For New Starting Goalie
The Red Wings are getting a new number one goaltender. For the Ducks, the benefits are a bit more intangible. One of the biggest benefits is the financial flexibility. However, supporting Dostal — the new full-time starter — was important to Anaheim.
“We had a really good tandem last year, and I wasn’t really crazy about breaking up the tandem,” Verbeek said, via Zach Cavanagh of The Sporting Tribune, “but I think with getting a goaltender that I felt comfortable with coming back that could support Lukáš made a difference.”
All in all, both the Ducks and Red Wings are getting something out of this. Both Anaheim and Detroit are looking to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And this deal could be a catalyst for both team’s making runs at the postseason in different ways.
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