John Gibson’s Potential Landing Spots

Oct 26, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Arizona Coyotes goalie Mike Smith (41) makes a save against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. The Coyotes beat the Maple Leafs 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Arizona’s Goaltending Situation:

Mike Smith has been the starting goaltender for the Arizona Coyotes for 5 years now, and he has provided a steady, experienced influence on the back-end of a fairly young team. Unfortunately for Smith, the Coyotes have never been an extremely impactful team during his time there. Now, at 33 years old, Smith is nearing the end of his career. He is signed until the 2018-2019 season, and he will definitely contemplate retirement at that point, if he doesn’t retire before his contract expires. In 2019, Smith will be 37. This means that the Arizona Coyotes will start looking for a new goaltender at some point soon, if they haven’t already. 

Like the Carolina Hurricanes, the Coyotes have a couple of options when it comes to the future in their crease. One option is to look for their future goaltender within their organization, as young goaltenders growing in their system are plentiful. Another option is to look for a trade.

Why Acquiring John Gibson Would Make Sense:

Similarly to the other teams on this list, John Gibson would fit in to the Arizona Coyotes system well, as he is young, and since he will be ready to start for an NHL team in the next couple of years. The Coyotes are in the process of rebuilding for the future, and they have a few young players who are sure to be NHL stars one day soon. In order for the Coyotes to be able to be successful in the NHL, they’re going to need to help out players like Max Domi, Anthony Duclair and Oliver Ekman-Larsson among others – with a solid, young goaltender who would be able to take over the crease as these players grow.

Final Verdict:

The Arizona Coyotes are definitely a potential landing spot for Gibson, though they have a large quantity of young goaltenders in their system. Apart from a few, most of these goaltenders are late draft picks who aren’t expected to make an NHL team in their future, though there are a couple who may be ready to assume an NHL role in a few years.

Oct 30, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Coyotes goalie Anders Lindback (29) watches the puck during the third period against the Vancouver Canucks at Gila River Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Adin Hill is a 19-year-old Canadian goaltender, who was selected in the third round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. The 6’4, Canadian goaltender seems to be the most likely to take over the Coyotes crease, if their management decides to look within for their goaltending solution. However, other than Hill, the Coyotes don’t have too many other realistic options for their future starter. The Coyotes backup goalie, Anders Lindback, is 27 years old, and though his statistics are good through his 3 games played this season, he is best suited as an NHL backup. Trading for John Gibson would make sense for the Arizona Coyotes, though they find themselves at #3 on this list, as they have a multitude of young goalies in their system, but more so because they have so many other team needs. The Coyotes need to solidify their team at other positions, and take advantage of Mike Smith’s steady play, before they address their goaltending situation.

Next: Next: #2. The Calgary Flames