Mar 29, 2015; Newark, NJ, USA; Anaheim Ducks goalie John Gibson (36) makes a save during the second period of their game against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
Anaheim Ducks goaltender, John Gibson, has been a subject of trade rumours for a very long time. Gibson is considered a solid young goaltender, and particularly, a goalie that can be a starter for an NHL team at some point soon. He has put up steady numbers since being drafted in the second round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. In the 2014-15 season, Gibson started 23 games; he had a 2.60 goals against average and a .914 save percentage. At 22, Gibson still has some developing to do as an NHL goalie, but there are definitely teams around the league that would be willing to take a shot at the young prospect, in the hope that he one day reaches his potential.
Gibson’s problem, though, is that with Frederik Andersen solidifying the starting spot in Anaheim’s net, he just doesn’t see enough game time in order to improve and gain experience. Another thing working against Gibson in Anaheim, is that Frederik Andersen is only 26 years of age, which means that he will probably have his spot as the starter for the foreseeable future. In fact, Gibson is now the starting goalie for the Anaheim Ducks’ AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. Ducks management figured that having a young goaltender like John Gibson sitting on the bench would be counterproductive, so they traded for 29-year-old Anton Khudobin to back up Frederik Andersen. This way, Gibson can start games in the AHL, and work on his skills while he awaits an NHL starting job.
This article will discuss the top 4 potential landing spots for Gibson if he ends up getting traded, and it will explain why each makes some degree of sense.
Next: Next: #4. The Carolina Hurricanes
October 23, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Carolina Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward (30) defends the goal against the Los Angeles Kings during the second period at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Carolina’s Goaltending Situation:
Live Feed class=inline-text id=inline-text-22023 Southeast Rookie Showcase: Takeaways from the Canes' Strong Showing in Florida /
Cam Ward is a former Stanley Cup champion and Conn Smythe winner in the final year of his contract with the Carolina Hurricanes. The playoffs are a long-shot for a rebuilding Hurricanes team, and Ward’s services are valued highly around the league. Since the Hurricanes don’t want Ward to walk at the end of the season and get no return for him, it is likely that they will try to deal him prior to the NHL trade deadline in 2016. Considering the fact that the Hurricanes will most likely be without Ward by the end of this season, GM Ron Francis has a few options in-goal for his team’s future.
The current backup goalie to Cam Ward is Eddie Lack. Lack, who came over to Carolina from Vancouver, is 27 years old, and has a total of 85 NHL games under his belt. With the Canucks in 2014-15, Lack played 41 games, posting a goals against average of 2.45, and a save percentage of .921. These numbers are definitely respectable, though it is unclear if the Hurricanes consider Lack to be the goalie of their team’s future. If not, the Hurricanes can look for a trade, or they can look within their system for a solution.
Alex Nedeljkovic is a 19-year-old goaltender developing in the Hurricanes system. Nedeljkovic was the team’s 2nd round draft pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, and he is an athletic goaltender who has the potential to one day be an NHL starter. His style is reminiscent of Jonathan Quick’s, as he is a little undersized, but makes up for his stature with his flexibility and with his movements across the crease.
Why Acquiring John Gibson Would Make Sense:
Carolina has a couple of options when it comes to the future in their crease. The plan for the future could involve Eddie Lack being a mentor to the young Alex Nedeljkovic, though this would mean Lack would have to assume the starting role for the Hurricanes until Nedeljkovic is ready. Lack’s steady career numbers not guarantee that Hurricanes’ management want him as their starting goalie. If GM Francis doesn’t feel that Lack is the way to go, he could examine other options. John Gibson would fit in to the Hurricanes’ rebuild, as he is young, hungry, and eager to take on a more prominent NHL role. Having Gibson in the Hurricanes system would take lots of pressure off of the shoulders of young Nedeljkovic, as most goalies aren’t ready to take a starting job in the NHL until their early to mid twenties.
Sep 30, 2015; Raleigh, NC, USA; Carolina Hurricanes goalie Eddie Lack (31) skates with the puck against the Washington Capitals at PNC Arena. The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Washington Capitals 4-3 in a shoot out. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Final Verdict:
Gibson ending up with the Hurricanes is pretty unlikely, though it is possible. The Hurricanes come in at #4 on the list, as it seems as if Alex Nedeljkovic is the goaltender of the future for their organization. The Hurricanes could entrust Lack with their crease for the years to come until Nedeljkovic is ready, or they can trade for Gibson (among other options). Having a Gibson/Nedeljkovic goalie tandem could be interesting, but not necessarily likely.
Next: Next: #3. The Arizona Coyotes
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
Oct 25, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Calgary Flames goaltender Jonas Hiller (1) makes a glove save is against the New York Rangers in the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports
Calgary’s Goaltending Situation:
The Flames’ struggles this season are highly related to their imbalance in-goal. They have three goalies fighting for the starting job, though none of the three can offer consistent performances, game-in, game-out. Recent injuries have forced the Flames coaching staff to keep their goalies on some sort of rotation, until one of them gets hot and performs well for a few games here and there.
The Flames currently find themselves sitting at 27th in the NHL, and they have an NHL-worst -25 differential. With 57 goals against thus far this season, the Flames have given up the most goals in the NHL. Normally putting all of the blame on the Flames goaltending would be wrong, however, the Flames top-6 defensive core are said to be one of the best in the league – with players such as Mark Giordano, Dougie Hamilton, Dennis Wideman and T.J. Brodie among others.
The Flames’ three goaltenders, Jonas Hiller, Joni Ortio and Karri Ramo – can’t seem to get the job done for the Flames. The most surprising of the three is Jonas Hiller. Hiller, who was the starter last season, has had a rough start to the 2015-16 campaign before getting injured. Through 7 games, Hiller has a 3.67 goals against average (GAA), and a .861 save percentage.
Why Acquiring John Gibson Would Make Sense:
Calgary is one of the younger teams in the NHL, and they seem to have many of the right pieces as a foundation of their franchise in place. Players like Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Mark Giordano and Sam Bennett are seen as core parts of the Flames organization for years to come. Bringing in a young goaltender like John Gibson would make sense, as it would solidify their crease in the long-term future. However, the Flames are looking for a current solution, not one for the future. As proven last year, the Flames can be a playoff team if they have all of their parts working together.
John Gibson may not be the current solution to the Flames’ problems, but he could be a potential future option for Flames management to take a look at. The Ducks would want a top line winger in return for their young goaltender, and those types of prospects are plentiful within the Flames organization. Whether or not the Flames would be willing to part ways with one of their young wingers remains unanswered.
Final Verdict:
The reason that Calgary finds themselves at #2 and not at #1, is because of their immediate need for help in nets. In addition, Calgary has three goaltenders with their team right now, and adding another one would only add difficulty to the coaching staff’s job. Calgary may not be the present day answer to the Gibson rumours, but if Gibson finds himself on the trade market in years to come, Calgary could become a frontrunner.
Next: Next: #1. The Florida Panthers
November 4, 2015; Anaheim, CA, USA; Florida Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo (1) blocks a shot against Anaheim Ducks during the second period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Florida’s Goaltending Situation:
Roberto Luongo has been a good starting net minder throughout his entire career. Now in his 16th year in the league, Luongo is playing for a very young, very talented Florida Panthers team. At 36 years of age, Luongo is nearing the end of a long and successful career – having played in multiple Olympics representing team Canada, and having come within one game of winning the Stanley Cup.
Luongo’s contract extends until 2021 (at which point, he would be 41), which makes it highly probable that he will decide to hang up the skates before his contract expires. The Panthers are probably looking to get a few more good years out of Luongo, though the search for the team’s next goalie could already be on. The other goaltenders in the Panthers system don’t seem to be turning too many heads, though the team has used many of their late draft picks in recent years to pick young goalies that could surprise. Backup goalie, Al Montoya is best fit as an NHL backup, so he cannot be the solution to the problem either.
Oct 10, 2015; Sunrise, FL, USA; Florida Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo (1) enters the ice before a game against the Philadelphia Flyers at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
Why Acquiring John Gibson Would Make Sense:
Taking Roberto Luongo’s age in to consideration, the Panthers are going to need a new goalie soon. Acquiring John Gibson would make sense, as the young goalie would have time to grow under Roberto Luongo, and he would have time to learn a thing or two from the two-time Olympian. Who better to take over the Panthers crease than a young, talented goalie.
The Florida Panthers are without a doubt one of the teams of the future in the NHL. With young talent like Aaron Ekblad, Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov, Nick Bjugstad,Vincent Trocheck, Brandon Pirri, Erik Gudbranson and Reilly Smith, it is almost guaranteed that this team will be one that will do serious damage soon. The only question mark for the Panthers remains in their crease. If the Florida Panthers management can find a way to acquire a young goaltender like John Gibson, and if they can find a way to re-sign their young talent, they can potentially be the next powerhouse in the NHL.
Final Verdict:
Acquiring John Gibson would be a smart move by Dale Tallon and the rest of the Panthers management. The question is, what would Gibson cost. As John Gibson is young, talented and filled with potential – the price would not be cheap. As we know, the Ducks are looking for a top-six scorer to add to their roster. The price-tag on Gibson will be the defining factor in a deal of this sort, though it may be a deal that can be good for both parties involved.
The Panthers find themselves at #1 on the list, as there are few impressive goalies in their system, and as they have many assets that the Ducks would covet in return for their young goaltender. In addition, a Ducks – Panthers trade is one that could conceivably happen today, as both teams would immediately benefit; since John Gibson would be able to learn from Roberto Luongo, and since the Ducks’ scoring woes would be helped by the acquisition of a forward.
