The Detroit Red Wings are set to acquire goaltender John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Friedman later added that the return will be goaltender Petr Mrazek and two draft picks. The deal was first reported by NHL.com’s Kevin Weekes. There will be no salary retention, and the acquired draft picks are not part of the 2025 draft, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.
The Red Wings have confirmed the trade. They will send a 2027 second-round pick and 2026 fourth-round pick to Anaheim alongside Mrazek.
This move stands as a monumental day for the Ducks franchise. Gibson was a cornerstone piece of their club for much of the 2010’s, and earned the lion’s share of starts from the 2016-17 season through the 2023-24 campaign. He set the record for most games played by a Ducks goaltender early into the latter season, taking it away from Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Gibson also ranks second in all-time wins in Ducks history, with 204 – just two behind Giguere’s record.
Gibson was once among the league’s most consistent, and dominant, goalies. He broke into the league as a red-hot rookie, setting a .920 save percentage through 40 games of his rookie season – enough to rank seventh in both Calder Trophy and Vezina Trophy voting. Gibson also took home the William Jennings Trophy with goalie partner Frederik Andersen that season. He went on to post a save percentage north of .915 in each of his first four full years in the NHL – including a career-high .926 through 60 games of the 2017-18 campaign. He also had a statement performance during Anaheim’s run to the 2017 Western Conference Finals, posting a .918 through 16 games.
Gibson continued to play north of 50 games each season through the 2019-20 campaign. In the first six years of his career, he combined for a .918 save percentage and 139-103-33 record through 287 games. But he couldn’t hold onto his consistency through a new decade, and began to slip nearly right as the 2020s rolled around. Gibson posted a .903 in 35 games of the shortened 2020-21 season, and has since recorded three more seasons with a save percentage below .905.
He seemed fully lost at sea last season, when a .888 save percentage through 46 games ultimately resulted in him losing the Ducks’ starting job to up-and-coming prospect Lukas Dostal. Gibson fell firmly into the backup role, and maintained that standing through this season.
But less responsibility may have been the right call for the now-31-year-old Gibson. He surged back to good effect this season, posting a 11-11-2 record and .911 save percentage through 29 games. He shined as a flashy compliment when Dostal was struggling, and gave Anaheim back the consistency in their net that they’ve long been known for.
It’s with that momentum that Gibson will enter the Red Wings’ system. He’s entering a true crowd, with both Cam Talbot and top prospect Sebastian Cossa signed through next season. The Red Wings also have Alex Lyon and Jack Campbell headed for unrestricted free agency. Gibson will step in as the goaltender with the priciest salary and longest term of the bunch – set to carry a $6.4MM cap hit through the next two seasons, while both Talbot and Cossa will need new deals next year. That fact could earn Gibson a starting role headed into the 2025-26 season, though it seems much more reasonable to bet on him being the consistent veteran manning the backup role while Cossa continues to climb into the NHL.
On the flip side, Anaheim will receive veteran Mrazek to fill their vacant backup role. Mrazek was the Chicago Blackhawks’ starter at the onset of the season – a role he’s filled since 2022. He wasn’t much sharp in Chicago, posting a 38-72-9 record and .899 save percentage through 128 games played. To his credit, though, he faced an absolute barrage of shots – averaging 31 shots against each game. Mrazek was dealt to the Red Wings at the Trade Deadline, and stood up to a reduced role much better – with a 2-2-0 record and .902 save percentage in five games. He’s a veteran of 13 NHL seasons and 428 games. In that span, he’s recorded a 180-176-40 record and .906 save percentage. Mrazek seems well beyond his golden days, but should still offer fine play situated behind starter Dostal.
Photo courtesy of Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports.
What is Detroit doing? They have so many good young goalies
Steve isn’t ready to play them yet, just like every draft picks, so a Gibson and Talbot combo is good for next year. Cossa hopefully gets some time this year and takes over 2026. Gibson and/or Talbot will be easy to trade.
I know but Gibson has what 5 years left on his contract??
Nope, 2 years.
Gibson always hurt. Makes no sense for Detroit give up 2 draft picks and goalie for often injured Gibson. Steve should be in hot seat.
Who would you have as your staring goalie?
Gibson has two years left on his contract. It expires at the end of the 2027 season.
This year Talbot and Gibson tandem with Cossa worked slowly and rdy for 2026 and hopefully Trey ready in 2027.
It was worth it for 2 million more than Mrazek, Gibson is really efficient as a backup. Having a good backup is almost a necessity for most teams.
Very Nice upgrade. Finally Steve is out of his deep sleep. Now go get some offense.
Another yzerman L
Didn’t see this coming but it’s about time John Gibson got moved (it’s been like 2 years in the making lol). However, didn’t think it would be Detroit to do it but a Gibson & Cam Talbot combo is an admirable duo in net for them.
What a bonehead trade. 6.4 million for an old goaltender who costs two picks? Why not juts keep Mrazek if that’s the cost? Just let Cossa play dammit.
What’s you record as an NHL GM? Would an OMJHL team even consider you for their GM position?
Some might ask that of Yzerman as well.
Drafted Kucherov, Vasilevsky, Point. Won GM of the year.
How’s your resume?
And has done what in Detroit?
The smarmy “how’s your resume” is a lame retort.
Sooo, no resume is probably appropriate? I get people on forums think they can do everyone’s job better than the people that actually do them.
What would you have done to improve the Wings goalie situation?
Your resume is not sufficient to question me. Be gone from me, peasant!
Yes, your resume of lame retorts is clearly superior to mine.
Yzerman has had his share of bad moves in Detroit but which GM hasn’t made bad moves? This isn’t one of them though as Gibson is a clear upgrade for the Wings. Cossa will be up when he’s ready.
Also the Wings situation was terrible when he took over from Holland. Cap hell, aged vets with term left on their contracts and a bare cupboard of prospects.
@tigers. You must be 15, and refuse to date older guys that are 16. Gibson isn’t old, and not even close for goalies.
“Where’s your resume” is about as good a response as asking “how many goals have you scored” when a hockey player sucks, or “how many games have you refereed” when a ref blows a game. Fans are allowed to have an interest and opinion on all of the above. If we lived with a “where’s your resume” mentality, we’d all be robots who can only do one thing.
@tigers I’m not talking about aliens and robots. Gibson is 31 That’s not old. Im already seeing that this conversation is going into some bs not related to the subject. So you win.
@tigers. It’s actually a reasonable response for reasonable people.
What should Yzerman do? Trade for Hellebucyk or Oettinger? Or start Cossa, like the forum geniuses wanted Buffalo to start Levi last year to get them into the playoffs.
Gibson’s a goalie who will never be great backing a high event team. The Wings are one of the worst fits for him IMO.
Y should receive treatment for his goalie fetish!
And as I predicted, he has added yet another goalie in the draft! LOL!
trade deadline flip him to another team
Why wouldn’t Edmonton give a similar package? Makes no sense.
Edmonton would’ve been a great fit for Gibson. Maybe the perfect fit. But if Anaheim insisted on not retaining salary, his $6.4M cap hit in 26-27 would been a big problem given McDavid and Bouchard need extensions.
And Steve already recouped the 4th for 2026 now, hard to see much of a downside here, Cossa gets another year of seasoning before splitting duties next year and taking over full time in 2027, Augustine hasnt even signed yet, and goalies are always hot commodities at the deadline. How much better does it make them? I dunno, but Mrazek was much better when he left Chicago and came to Detroit and Anaheim wasnt much better than Chicago defensively last year (Ducks gave up the most shots per game in the NHL)…. and Gibson is only making about 2 million more than Mrazek was, so that still leaves 18ish million to play with in FA, barring any other moves. Does this get Detroit to the playoffs on its own? Of course not, but it sure doesnt hurt…. long story short the theory seems to be you’d rather have too much goalie than not enough
losing faith in cossa ? ? continuing to grasp at straws to fill the hole in goal
Tell me again every goalie drafted from 2020 onwards that is killing it in the NHL? There’s zero. Every team in the league besides a few want and need to consistently improve their goaltending year after year.
It’s an improvement at the goalie position, plain and simple. Good move.
Seems like he will fit but cost a little more than Mrazek. Who knows, only games will tell if this was an improvement, lateral trade, or a bust. Besides no one in public really knows what other deals are brewing behind the office doors. This is a multi level chess game played with millions of dollars and many, many moving parts.
Motownwings made an astute observation about the deplorable situation he inherited from Ken Holland’s disastrous attempt to drive his Nursing Home Bus load of players into the playoffs atop a giant salary bill. Handed a team with a couple of decent players and a bunch of past prime, not able to trade for anything players.
He has built a foundation of decent prospects a few of which have come to NHL levels. He has yet to broom the remaining poor performers on the NHL roster, and suspect one or two will come from trades, the others out of the ready for prime time Griffin’s roster or AHL trade ins.
Meantime, a decent roster SHOULD be able to protect any of the goalies on the roster who will give them a chance to win close games.
Bear in mind, I have not been paid for these opinions, and as always, you get what you pay for!! (Smiles).