The Anaheim Ducks traded goaltender John Gibson to the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday. In exchange, the Ducks received goalie Petr Mrazek, a 2027 second-round pick and a fourth-round pick in 2026.
Gibson was originally selected 39th overall by the team in 2011, and has spent his entire NHL career with the organization. Then netminder played over 500 games with the team across parts of 12 seasons, and is a three-time NHL All-Star.
However, Gibson’s play declined over the past half-decade. After posting an excellent .921 save percentage up to the end of the 2018-19 season to start his career, he’s managed just a .901 save percentage across the last six seasons.
Despite his long tenure in Anaheim, it’s no surprise to see Gibson finally get moved this offseason. His name has been floated in trade speculation for several years now, and it seemed like the team and player were always destined for a split. Plus, with Gibson now into his early-30s, he doesn’t necessarily fit the team’s timeline to compete, as they build with a young core. Now with less term remaining on his contract, and Gibson coming off somewhat of a bounce-back year, this was arguably the most realistic time for the team to move the netminder. Plus, all signs point to Lukas Dostal being capable of taking on a full-time starting role.
Mrazek is a stopgap for the Ducks
With Mrazek coming back the other way, the Ducks also get a netminder who can replace Gibson in a more limited, short-term role, behind Dostal. Mrazek is 33 years old, and split last season between the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings, posting an .891 save percentage across 38 games.
At the same time, the Ducks’ return here was okay at best. Adding draft capital still makes sense for the team as they build around a young core, but a second and fourth-round pick aren’t going to move the needle. Of course, Gibson’s trade value was nowhere near as high as it was a number of years ago, and he did have some trade protection to factor in as well. But for how long it took to finally get to a Gibson trade and considering how thin the goalie market is this offseason, it’s a little surprising this was all the Ducks got back in return.
