Top Trades, Landing Spots for Anaheim Ducks Goaltender John Gibson Amid NHL Rumors

Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson has been a frequent fixture on our monthly NHL Trade Block Big Boards since June. With his club still rebuilding, the 30-year-old Gibson would make the perfect trade chip to fetch a return of draft picks and prospects.

Two significant factors, however, have hurt Gibson's value in the trade market. One is his contract with its $6.4 million average annual value through 2026-27 with a 10-team no-trade clause. The other is the decline in his performance in recent seasons, though that can be attributed to the Ducks' lack of experienced roster depth.

Gibson's stats have improved this season with a 2.85 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. That would explain why he's continued to surface in media trade rumors this season and could make him more enticing to clubs seeking help between the pipes.

Finding a suitable fit for Gibson is challenging considering the high number of teams with limited salary-cap space this season. It might take until next summer to find a suitable trade partner. That's when the salary cap is projected to rise by $4.2 million for 2024-25, giving potential suitors more cap dollars to work with.

Nevertheless, we've listed five teams that could be landing spots for Gibson by the March 8 trade deadline provided they're not on his no-trade list. Feel free to tell us what you think about our choices in our app comments section.

A lack of a reliable starting goaltender has hampered the rebuilding Buffalo Sabres in recent years. It's among the reasons why the Sabres are in danger of missing the playoffs for the 13th straight season. They gambled on Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen this season, but the young netminders are not yet up to the task.

With $7.4 million in salary-cap space, the Sabres have the room right now to address this issue. They could afford to take on Gibson's full cap hit. His experience could have a calming effect on the skittish Sabres defense, plus he could mentor Levi or Luukkonen.

The Sabres can also draw on their depth in good young players on their roster and within their prospect pipeline. They could offer up someone such as Jack Quinn, Jiří Kulich, or Noah Östlund as part of the return. The Ducks could press for Levi, Zach Benson or Matt Savoie.

Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams hasn't made a major trade since shipping Jack Eichel to the Vegas Golden Knights in November 2021. With his club once again spinning its wheels, it might be time to pull the trigger and bring in a reliable, experienced starter who is still in his playing prime.

Over the past three seasons, the Carolina Hurricanes were among the best teams in the Eastern Conference. They finished atop their division three straight times, set a franchise record for points (116) in 2021-22 and reached the 2023 Eastern Conference Final.

Considered among the favorites to win the Stanley Cup this season, the Hurricanes are jockeying for a wild-card berth. Goaltending has been an issue with Frederik Andersen sidelined for weeks with a blood-clotting issue, Antti Raanta demoted to the AHL and Pyotr Kochetkov struggling to establish himself as a reliable NHL starter.

On Dec. 19, TSN's Chris Johnston said the Hurricanes' struggles in goal have them looking to the trade market for help. Perhaps they might consider bringing in someone like Gibson. He's still in his prime, lacks a long history of injuries that has plagued Andersen and Raanta and could be a good mentor for Kochetkov.

The Hurricanes might have to wait until they've accrued sufficient cap space at the trade deadline to take on Gibson's salary. They could ask the Ducks to retain part of his cap hit but that could mean parting with a first-rounder or a top prospect. If Andersen can't finish the season, they could get some cap relief by placing him on long-term injury reserve.

The Columbus Blue Jackets' four straight seasons as a playoff club from 2016-17 to 2019-20 are a distant memory. Mired near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, they're in danger of missing the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.

Goaltending has been an issue this season as Elvis Merzļikins and Spencer Martin have struggled while promising Daniil Tarasov only recently returned from injury. During the Dec. 18 episode of Sportsnet's "32 Thoughts" podcast, Elliotte Friedman said it wouldn't be surprising if the Blue Jackets entertained offers for the 29-year-old Merzļikins.

If, as Friedman suggests, Merzļikins might benefit from moving on, perhaps he could be part of a swap with the Ducks for Gibson. Merzļikins carries an annual cap hit of $5.4 million through 2026-27 with a 10-team no-trade list. Both clubs would be swapping starting goalies in need of a change of scenery.

It sounds simple enough, but whether both clubs would want to make that move is another matter. It also assumes that Columbus isn't on Gibson's no-trade list or Anaheim isn't on Merzļikins'. Still, it would give the Blue Jackets more experience between the pipes while allowing the Ducks to shed $1 million in cap space.

The Detroit Red Wings have been trying to rebuild without an experienced starting goaltender in his playing prime. They're getting mixed results with the current trio of Ville Husso, James Reimer and Alex Lyon. Husso and Lyon haven't yet established themselves as starters, while the 35-year-old Reimer is best suited for backup duty.

With the Red Wings once again sinking in the standings and in danger of missing the playoffs for what would be a franchise-record eighth straight season, it might be time for general manager Steve Yzerman to consider bringing in an experienced starting goalie like John Gibson.

Gibson's improvement this season suggests he could be a good addition to a deeper roster. With a projected $11 million in trade deadline cap space, the Wings could afford to take on Gibson's salary. With over $30 million in cap room for next season, it won't be a problem absorbing his contract for the long term.

Ducks GM Pat Verbeek worked with Yzerman in Detroit before moving to Anaheim. Perhaps the two can work out a deal to their mutual benefit here. Verbeek could seek a promising youngster such as Marco Kasper, Simon Edvinsson or Axel Sandin Pellikka in the return, especially if Yzerman were to ask him to retain part of Gibson's cap hit.

On Dec. 12, we noted there was speculation suggesting John Gibson might be a good fit with the New Jersey Devils. At the time, we shrugged it off as they lacked sufficient cap space to take on his contract, though we indicated that could change if sidelined defenseman Dougie Hamilton wound up on long-term injury reserve for the rest of the season.

A week later, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported it was his understanding that Hamilton might not return until the playoffs begin in late April. He suggested that they could put his $9 million cap hit into play before the March 8 trade deadline to add a defenseman or potentially a goalie.

The Devils haven't placed Hamilton on LTIR yet as they're still beneath the $83.5 million salary-cap ceiling. They could do so at any time to add players to their roster as long as they don't exceed the cap by the equivalent of his $9 million cap hit.

That would leave the Devils with plenty of room to take on Gibson's $6.4 million cap hit. They have the depth in prospects and promising young players to make an enticing pitch to the Ducks. The Devils could offer goalie Vitek Vanecek and his $3.4 million cap hit through next season as part of the return but it could also cost them their 2024 first-round pick.

Stats and standings(as of Dec. 26, 2023) via NHL.com with salary info via Cap Friendly and prospect info via The Athletic.