The Detroit Red Wings acquired John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday, a trade of the veteran goaltender that could start the dominos falling around the NHL with several teams looking for help in net.
Detroit sent backup goalie Petr Mrazek, a 2027 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-rounder to Anaheim for Gibson, whose name has been in trade rumors for several years. No salary was retained.
"I’ve been assured he’s excited to come to Detroit, and we’re excited to have him," Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman said on NHL Network. “Our understanding was they have an excellent young goaltender in (Lukas) Dostal, and John was looking for a fresh start and saw an opportunity in Detroit to get in the net and play a lot of games.”
Gibson, 31, has spent his first 12 years in the league with Anaheim. He started 28 games, compared to 49 for Dostal, last season, and he's signed for two more at a salary cap hit of $6.4 million.
Ducks GM Pat Verbeek worked under Yzerman for a decade, and the two began speaking about Gibson before the trade deadline in March. Injuries derailed a move then but set the table for the western Pennsylvania native to go to Hockeytown.
“We want to thank John for his time with our organization and being an integral part of the Ducks for more than a decade,” Verbeek said. “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.”
Back-to-back Western Conference champion Edmonton, rebuilding Philadelphia and others are expected to pursue a goaltender this offseason, and the list of unrestricted free agents with starting experience is not long. Jake Allen, Ilya Samsonov, Anton Forsberg and Ville Husso are among the top options available.
A restricted free agent is off the market after St. Louis re-signed goaltender Joel Hofer to a two-year deal worth $6.8 million.
A few minor trades materialized on Day 2 of the draft. Los Angeles sent 24-year-old D-man Jordan Spence to Ottawa for the 67th pick and Colorado’s sixth-rounder in 2026; Buffalo dealt Connor Clifton and a second-round pick to the Penguins for Conor Timmins and Isaac Beliveau and Washington acquired Declan Chisolm from Minnesota for a swap of picks.
The Capitals also signed 23-year-old forward Justin Sourdif for $1.65 million over two years after sending a second-round pick to two-time Stanley Cup champion Florida for the minor leaguer with four games of NHL experience. Sourdif scored a goal in his lone call-up this past season and had 10 points in 18 games on the Charlotte Checkers' run to the American Hockey League's Calder Cup Finals.
They are are hoping Sourdif, making just over the league minimum at $825,000 annually, fills a hole on their second or third line. There was no room for upward mobility for Sourdif, especially after the Panthers signed playoff MVP Sam Bennett to an eight-year, $64 million contract and could bring back winger Brad Marchand.
North of the border, the Calgary Flames extended 6-foot-6 Kevin Bahl to a six-year deal worth just over $32 million, while the Winnipeg Jets shored up their blue line depth by giving Haydn Fleury $1.9 million over the next two seasons. Bahl will count $5.35 million against the salary cap through 2030-31.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press
