With the Anaheim Ducks in the middle of a rebuild, veteran goalie John Gibson is expected to be moved at some point before the Mar. 7 trade deadline.
Earlier this week, NHL insider Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic and TSN reported that John Gibson and the Ducks have “a mutually agreed-upon desire” to complete a trade, with 24-year-old netminder Lukáš Dostál cementing himself as the No. 1 goalie.
LeBrun mentioned two perennial Stanley Cup contenders, the Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes, as possible fits for the 31-year-old Gibson, who has a modified no-trade clause.
According to LeBrun, Gibson would also “consider” Connor McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers. Goaltending woes have held back the reigning Western Conference champions through the first quarter of the 2024-25 season.
Oilers goalies Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard have combined for a terrible .882 save percentage and 3.01 goals against average. If the Oilers want to address their problems in the crease, it makes perfect sense to run with a Skinner-John Gibson tandem.
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Though Skinner has struggled through the first quarter of 2024-25, the Oilers value his postseason experience and strong performances for large stretches of last season. As much criticism as he gets, Skinner was monumental in the Oilers’ run to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.
But it doesn’t hurt to add a far more experienced goaltender like Gibson, who’s signed through the 2026-27 season. A Gibson-Skinner tandem would be better than most in the West, and nobody said they couldn’t use a rotation in the playoffs if need be.
What Oilers Should Offer Ducks For John Gibson
To make a trade work, the Oilers would need Anaheim to eat some of the money while taking some other pricy players back in return. But Gibson shouldn’t cost a whole lot, since he’s merely their No. 2 goalie now.
A fair trade offer is this: Gibson to Edmonton (with Anaheim eating $2 million annually in salary) in exchange for Pickard, forward Viktor Arvidsson (Anaheim has to take some money back), a 2025 second-round pick and prospect Maxim Berezkin.
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