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After seven straight seasons of missing the playoffs, the Anaheim Ducks are poised to be active this offseason. However, one name that could be moved off the roster ahead of the 2025-26 season is goaltender John Gibson.
Selected 39th overall in 2011, Gibson has spent his entire NHL career with the Ducks to this point. But with the goaltender's name being mentioned in trade speculation for several years now, this could be the time for the team to finally pull the trigger on making a move.
While Gibson is quite a ways removed from his prime, he's coming off a bounce-back year. Playing 29 games with Anaheim this season, the netminder posted a .912 save percentage. It marked by far his highest save percentage in six years. Gibson now also has just two years remaining on his contract, making a trade much more realistic than previous years.
With Lukas Dostal emerging as the Ducks' future long-term starter, the team now has options. There aren't a ton of high-end goalies available this summer, and the team could look to capitalize, and get back some assets.
Below are four potential landing spots for John Gibson, if Anaheim opts to move the netminder this summer.
Goaltending upgrade could help Oilers take next step
Following back-to-back Stanley Cup losses, the Edmonton Oilers will be looking for answers this offseason. While goaltending certainly wasn't the only issue for the Oilers, we have to imagine the team won't start the 2025-26 season with the same tandem.
On one hand, Calvin Pickard has been a bit of a surprise success with the Oilers over the last couple of seasons. This season, Pickard played 36 games, posting a .900 save percentage, and then got into 10 playoff games.
However, Pickard is still probably better served as Edmonton's backup netminder next season. If the Oilers do make a change, it'll likely be Stuart Skinner on the move.
While Skinner has shown promise of being a capable starter, he has also had a lot of inconsistency in his game. He managed just an .896 save percentage with the Oilers this season and posted an .861 save percentage in the Stanley Cup Final.
Like Pickard, Skinner has another year left on his contract. However, it seems pretty up in the air as to whether he actually finishes his contract in Edmonton.
John Gibson reportedly wants to be a No. 1 goalie, and a tandem with Skinner may not be appealing to the netminder, as previously reported by Elliotte Friedman. But if the team moved Skinner and ran with Gibson as a starter, the move seems more possible.
The one hold up could be the Oilers' lack of trade capital. The team has already sold a lot of their top draft picks over the next couple of years, so it's debatable as to whether they have the pieces to make a deal work. But at least in terms of a fit, Edmonton may arguably be the most logical landing spot for Gibson.
Hurricanes could be a possible landing spot
On the surface, the Carolina Hurricanes already have their goaltending situation set for the coming season. Pyotr Kochetkov remains under contract for two more years, while Frederik Andersen was signed to a one-year extension in May.
However, it seems like the Hurricanes should still be seeking an upgrade, if there's a move that makes sense. Andersen has had trouble staying healthy, while Kochetkov hasn't been able to grow into a bigger role as was expected a couple years ago. While Andersen is likely to return regardless, Kochetkov's spot probably isn't as safe as it once was.
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Carolina has the draft capital to make a move for John Gibson. However, the hold-up with a possible deal could still be Gibson's reported desire to be a clear starter, if he lands elsewhere. If the Hurricanes held onto Andersen, it's likely that Gibson would still be used in more of a tandem.
Blue Jackets need to improve in goal
The Columbus Blue Jackets took some big steps this season. The Blue Jackets were only a couple points out of a playoff step, and with a young core in place, they're building in the right direction. However, arguably nothing held them back more than their goaltending.
Elvis Merzlikins has struggled across the last three seasons, posting just an .890 save percentage in 124 games over that period. Meanwhile, Daniil Tarasov was just about unusable this season, managing only an .881 save percentage across 20 games.
The team does have one thing going for them in goal, being the potential for Jet Greaves to become a full-time NHL goalie next season. Greaves is just 24 years old and spent most of the season in the AHL, posting a .920 save percentage across 40 games with the Cleveland Monsters. Greaves was called up for 11 games and was particularly great over April, where he went 5-0-0 with two shutouts, posting an outstanding .975 save percentage over five games to end the year.
Despite Greaves' potential, Columbus could seek out a more established option to replace Merzlikins. With the team expected to compete for a playoff spot, John Gibson could be a fit.
Flyers suffered from poor goaltending in 2024-25
The Philadelphia Flyers were another team held back by goaltending this season. While they may have been far outside the playoff race by the end of the year regardless, the team likely needs to find an external solution in goal to take a step next season. Using a trio of goaltenders, the team had a downright awful .879 save percentage this season.
Samuel Ersson took on the largest role, but posted just an .883 save percentage across 47 games. Meanwhile, Ivan Fedotov had just an .880 save percentage, and Aleksei Kolosov registered an .867 save percentage over 17 games. All three goalies are still under contract for next season, but we can expect the Flyers will be looking for an upgrade.
Despite the team's goaltending struggles, Philly may be the least likely fit for John Gibson on the list. The Flyers are still a little ways off from really competing, and Gibson has just two years left on his contract. As a result, giving up assets for Gibson when the team may not be a playoff team in the next two years anyways could be short-sighted.
With limited options available though for an external upgrade, it remains a possibility.
