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The Anaheim Ducks are outside the Western Conference playoff race with the trade deadline looming. They are six points out with one game in hand on the Calgary Flames, so they can go either direction at the deadline. One big piece they have been looking to trade for years is goalie John Gibson. The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun and Chris Johnston have the latest on Gibson, the Ducks, and his no-trade clause he is willing to waive to go to the Oilers.
“The Ducks would also be open to trading John Gibson, although there don’t seem to be any teams currently shopping for a goaltender in his price range. Gibson is willing to waive a no-trade clause to go to Edmonton — the Oilers insist they aren’t in the goalie market — and Anaheim has had on-again, off-again conversations with Carolina going back to last summer. They seem to be (mostly) off now.”
The Oilers made the Stanley Cup Final with 25-year-old Stuart Skinner in net. But his numbers have taken a significant dip this year and could have Edmonton in the goalie market. But they insist they are not and with depth-scoring issues to fix, it makes sense.
The Ducks have the best goalie available in John Gibson but there are not many contenders with a need at goalie. How should they handle this week's deadline?
The Ducks must continue to trade pending free agents
The Ducks have not made the playoffs since 2018 and have a young core they should be looking to build around. But the recipe that includes Trevor Zegras and Cutter Gauthier is not working this year. They should be looking to trade any player with value for picks and prospects that they can surround this core with.
Gibson is the most valuable player the Ducks could trade this offseason. With a $6.4 million annual cap hit through 2027, they could retain some salary and get a top-shelf prospect for him. With Lukas Dostal arriving as the goalie of the future, this would not hamper their future chances too much.
The pending free agents the Ducks could trade include Brian Dumoulin, Brock McGinn, and Robby Fabbri. With two retention spots left after trading Cam Fowler, they can get high-value picks to expedite their rebuild by packaging these players.
If the Ducks trade from their core, it will be forward Trevor Zegras. His offensive numbers have plummeted under head coach Greg Cronin and could fitch a great return in a trade. But if Gibson is staying, don't expect a massive sell-off from Anaheim.
