The Ducks Goaltending Outlook for 2024-25
The Anaheim Ducks are set to deploy a tandem goaltending rotation in 2024-25
The days of workhorse goaltenders in the NHL who play north of 60 games per season are fading into obscurity. Tandem goaltending is seemingly the way of the future and teams are more frequently opting to employ three NHL-caliber goalies.
The position has become increasingly volatile and the physical toll it takes can't be understated.
From 2016 to 2023, John Gibson was firmly in the "workhorse" category for the Anaheim Ducks. He averaged 53.7 starts per season, and that number would have likely been higher had he remained completely healthy during that span.
Due in part to injury and in part to the emergence of 23-year-old Czech goaltender, Lukas Dostal, Gibson only started 44 games in the 2023-24 season, his lowest total since the 2015-16 season. Gibson finished this season with a career-low save percentage (.888) and saved -0.225 goals above expected per 60 minutes.
Lukas Dostal's rookie season in the NHL saw him start 38 games and finish with a .902 save percentage, .001 below the NHL league average for 2023-24. He saved -0.137 goals above expected per 60 minutes, quality numbers considering he was playing on the NHL's third-worst team according to the standings.
The numbers weren't spectacular for the duo in Anaheim, but they only tell part of the story.
The 2023-24 season was an adjustment for the Anaheim Ducks organization. They hired Greg Cronin as head coach in June of 2023 and endured a "culture shock" while also adjusting to a new on-ice system and set of standards. Injuries to key players rendered lineup consistency unachievable, and compounded with significant growing pains toward a new play-style, the Anaheim netminders saw a high number of grade-A scoring chances on a nightly basis.
John Gibson and Lukas Dostal kept the Ducks in a lot of close games they had no business being in during the 2023-24 season.
Given where the Ducks currently stand in their build toward contention and the shift in ideology around the goaltending position, one may wonder what the future of the crease in Anaheim may look like.
"It's a situation to where who's playing the best could be taking the net," Ducks General Manager Pat Verbeek stated during his exit interview last month regarding the Ducks goaltenders. "We have two goaltenders who can play equally well. I think it's a really good thing in a sense to where there's competition within the lineup and that's going to bring out the best in everyone and our team."
All indications are the Ducks will deploy a tandem-based rotation and lean toward the goaltender performing better at any given time if they need a win on a specific night.
"I have a good relationship with Gibby," Lukas Dostal said during his exit interview. "I like him. He's a good guy. We talk about a lot of stuff, I ask him a lot of questions. I don't know if sometimes I was annoying."
Trade rumors have swirled around Gibson for several years now. The status of a potential trade request is uncertain. What is more certain is the fact that NHL teams are investing increasingly less in their goaltenders year after year.
Gibson has three years left on his contract that carries a $6.4 million cap hit. The Ducks operate well under the salary cap ceiling and have a projected $33 million in cap space heading into the summer of 2024. Gibson's contract isn't hindering their cap flexibility, so the incentive to move him simply to gain cap relief doesn't exist.
NHL teams will likely be wary to take on Gibson's contract given how poor his numbers have been over the past several seasons, so indications point toward him remaining in Anaheim for the foreseeable future.
The Ducks are aspiring to play more meaningful games later into the 2024-25 season and remain in a playoff race for as long as possible. They have several holes in their lineup to fill, but the crease doesn't seem to be a focal point for an upgrade as the 2024-25 season approaches.