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The Detroit Red Wings have made their first potential upgrade of the 2025 offseason — and it’s in the crease.

After years of looking for stability in goal, Detroit traded for Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson on Saturday, sending a 2026 fourth-round pick, a 2027 second-round pick and veteran goaltender Petr Mrázek back to the Ducks.

The 31-year-old Gibson, who was the Ducks’ longest-serving player, is a respected veteran who has twice finished top 10 in Vezina Trophy voting, but his numbers have slipped in recent seasons as the Ducks entered a painful rebuild. After consecutive seasons with a save percentage below .900 in 2022-23 and 2023-24, he posted a .911 save percentage this past season, albeit in a reduced role of 29 games. His 11.71 goals saved above expected (GSAx) ranked 21st in the NHL, a few spots above Detroit’s incumbent starter, Cam Talbot.

If Gibson can maintain that level in a slightly larger workload, he has the talent to elevate the position for the Red Wings, who have seen a revolving door in net over the last several seasons.

Detroit has taken chances on Alex Nedeljkovic, Ville Husso, Thomas Greiss, Alex Lyon and Talbot, and found varying degrees of success for stretches, but has yet to find real stability.

Of course, it remains to be seen if Gibson — who has a $6.4 million cap hit for the next two seasons — can be that stabilizer, after playing in a reduced role behind Lukáš Dostál this past season. But the upside he brings as a former Jennings Trophy winner is real, and represents the first major move of the Red Wings’ offseason.

Gibson spent his entire 12-year NHL career with the Ducks after they drafted him in the second round (No. 39 overall) in 2011. Gibson won 204 games while recording a .910 save percentage, 2.89 goals-against average and 24 shutouts. The trade prevented him from passing Jean-Sébastien Giguère’s franchise mark of 206 wins.

“We want to thank John for his time with our organization and being an integral part of the Ducks for more than a decade,” said Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek. “It became clear John wanted a new opportunity, and after many discussions with him we felt now was the right time to make this move. John and his family became a major part of the community and their dedication to Orange County will leave a lasting impact. We wish John and his family all the best in their next chapter.”

Gibson’s first NHL game on April 7, 2014, in Vancouver was an 18-save shutout. Weeks later, he was called upon in the second round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Kings and got another shutout in his first postseason game while also starting Game 7 as a 20-year-old.

From there, Gibson’s run with the Ducks was almost divided into two parts. He had years of early success, when he shared the William M. Jennings Trophy with Frederik Andersen, then twice earned Vezina Trophy votes and had multiple All-Star Game appearances. Then came a five-year stretch of losing as his numbers suffered under the weight of carrying a poor Anaheim team invested in a rebuild.

That’s one reason why he also has 217 regulation losses, including three seasons in which he led all goalies in that category. Trade speculation surfaced in recent years, but Gibson’s $6.4 million cap number — from the eight-year extension he signed in 2018 — was a hindrance to deal-making.

But with just two years left on the contract, and given Gibson’s resurgence last season in a lesser role with the younger Lukáš Dostál becoming Anaheim’s No. 1, the veteran became more appealing for teams seeking a better or different option in net. Gibson went 11-11-2 while making 28 starts in a 2024-25 season interrupted at times by injury. His .911 save percentage and 2.77 GAA were his best in years. MoneyPuck had him with an impressive 15.3 more saves made that expected from the average goalie.

It is the third notable trade Verbeek has made this offseason. Verbeek dealt Trevor Zegras to the Philadelphia Flyers for center Ryan Poehling and two draft picks. Before that, Verbeek acquired power forward Chris Kreider from the New York Rangers for prospect Carey Terrance. The two teams also swapped picks in the deal.

How much better does this make Detroit?

That depends on how much of last year’s bounce-back Gibson can repeat, but from 2014 to 2019, Gibson had a sterling .921 save percentage. That figure dipped significantly as the Ducks entered their rebuild, but the uptick last year was a reminder that Gibson (who will turn 32 later this month) still has more in the tank. The question, after serving in a No. 2 role last year, might be what kind of workload he can manage, while still sustaining that improved play.

The $6.4 million cap hit isn’t cheap, but much of it is offset by sending Mrázek (who was set to make $4.25 million next year) back to Anaheim. That still leaves the Red Wings plenty of room to work as they seek to snap a nine-year playoff drought. So while Gibson’s true level at this stage of his career remains to be seen, this is a fairly inexpensive bet for the Red Wings, and Gibson’s upside is that of a legit starter. — Max Bultman, Red Wings beat reporter

What does this mean for Sebastian Cossa?

Cossa, Detroit’s top goalie prospect after being selected 15th in 2021, made his NHL debut last season but played only part of one game. He has spent the last two years in AHL Grand Rapids, and after a rocky finish in 2025, looks poised to start there again next season.

But for a Red Wings team looking to improve, banking on Talbot and Mrázek — two aging veterans — would have been a dicey option, and Cossa could still very well see time in Detroit this year. With Talbot set to be a free agent in 2026, there’s also a clear path to him sharing time with Gibson in a full-time capacity a year from now.

So while the move does add a short-term obstacle in Cossa’s short-term path to the NHL, it also helps solidify the succession plan in Detroit, with 2023 second-rounder Trey Augustine (another top goalie prospect in the Red Wings system) also on the way. — Bultman

What does this mean for the Ducks?

The Ducks accomplished two things in moving Gibson, a trade that had long been speculated and worked on at different times in recent years. Verbeek worked with Gibson’s agent, Kurt Overhardt, to finally resolve the issue. While the Ducks are taking back Mrazek’s salary and cap hit ($4.25 million) in the deal, they’re only committed to him for one year as opposed to the two years remaining on Gibson’s contract, and they are gaining $2.15 million of cap space. Mrazek is owed $3.65 million ($1 million in a signing bonus) in actual salary, a lower amount than his cap number, a distinction Anaheim ownership appreciates.

It gives the Ducks even more cap space to make a huge splash in free agency. PuckPedia now has them with an estimated total of $38.8 million available. They’re expected to make a play for Mitch Marner but could look at other scoring forwards who will cost less. Meanwhile, Mrazek can provide support for Dostál. — Eric Stephens, Ducks beat reporter

What does this mean for Gibson?

This is a chance for Gibson to reassert himself as a No. 1 goalie and help Detroit end its drought. Gibson knows what it’s like to miss the playoffs and help carry a team during a long rebuild. At times, the years of losing and getting shelled behind a struggling Ducks defense appeared to wear on him. But while his numbers took a major hit, Gibson’s talent remained clear. He often was required to make more 10-bell saves than any starting goalie should be asked to, just to keep his teams in games.

It is the freshest of starts for Gibson. Last season was a rebound year, one he needed in order to show the league that he still had plenty of game. The Red Wings will be cognizant of Gibson’s occasional injury issues, some of which reappeared last season – he started last year recovering from an emergency appendectomy – as Dostal grabbed hold of the Anaheim net. But Gibson likes to work a lot and, if he’s healthy, he could win a few games that some of Detroit’s other netminders lost, while being a strong bridge to Cossa and Augustine. — Stephens

(Photo: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)