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Gibson's Finest - Sept. 5 2025 - Vol. 79 Issue 2 - Jared Clinton
(TIM FULLER/ALEX GALLARDO-IMAGN IMAGES)
IN AN IDEAL WORLD – and some might suggest in a just one – John Gibson wouldn’t have such a big chip on his shoulder. There’s even an argument that he shouldn’t have one in the first place. After all, by just about any measure, Gibson has had a charmed career.
But at his introductory press conference as a new member of the Detroit Red Wings, Gibson couldn’t help but repeat that this is an opportunity to show that he has plenty left in the tank. Five times, he hit on some variation of that theme. He brought it up when talking about what excites him about heading to Hockeytown. He brought it up when he talked about his fit in the Red Wings’ lineup. And he brought up again when talking about leaving Anaheim.
With that last one, Gibson wasn’t striking an aggrieved tone or tenor. Not necessarily. The truth, however, is that the 32-year-old’s departure from the Ducks, with whom he has spent every moment of his big-league career, has been a long time coming.
For the past few years, Gibson’s name has been grist for the rumor mill, whether in-season or during the dog days of summer. There were moments when it seemed close. There was the moment when a public statement had to be made denying that he had demanded out of Anaheim. But what has long seemed fait accompli is now a reality. After more than 10 years, he’s on the move from the white-sand beaches of Southern California to the blue-collar Motor City. “It’s tough being in one place for so long, and you’ve got to say bye to a lot of close friendships with people within the organization and outside the organization,” Gibson told reporters. “But me and my family are ready for the next chapter. I still feel like I’ve got a lot left to prove.”
See? There Gibson goes, hinting at some unfinished business and sounding more like an upstart itching to make a name for himself than the well-credentialled keeper he is. And that phrase – “a lot to prove” – is going to come up again in these next 1,000-plus words. But maybe that’s because there’s something to it.
In a number of ways, Gibson’s reputation precedes him, and not without reason. Almost from the moment he arrived in the NHL in 2013-14, then just a fresh-faced 20-year-old, he has asserted himself as one of the world’s most preternaturally gifted goaltenders. And his early trajectory was something to behold. First, he asserted himself as the next-in-line netminder for the Ducks. By the following campaign, he was a second-stringer. One season later, Gibson became a split-time starter and etched his name on the William M. Jennings Trophy alongside then-creasemate Frederik Andersen.
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From that moment on, Gibson became the face of the Ducks’ crease as he made good on projections he could one day become a franchise keeper. He rose to become Anaheim’s all-time leader in games played by a goaltender. He worked his way to second all-time on the Ducks’ win list, where he trails Jean-Sebastien Giguere by just two victories. His tenure in Anaheim was such that any debate about the greatest keeper in Ducks history is a two-horse race between Gibson and Giguere – and don’t be so certain Gibson is the runner-up.
I just personally felt that I had more to offer- JOHN GIBSON
If that’s the good, though, there has also been the bad.
In the immediate aftermath of Gibson putting pen to paper on an eight-year, $51.2-million contract extension in 2018, he had one of the best years of his career. But team success did not then and has not since followed. The Ducks missed the post-season in 2018-19 and in each year since. All the while, Gibson has lost more games than any other NHL goaltender over the past six seasons, missed 65 games due to injury and has, in recent years, felt competition breathing down his neck.
The latter was never more apparent than in the past two seasons, as the emergence of Lukas Dostal unsteadied Gibson’s stranglehold on the crease. And between Gibson’s absences and Anaheim’s eagerness to find an heir to the blue paint, Dostal grabbed the starting reins last campaign and has since been crowned Gibson’s successor.
About that – losing the starting gig he has held for a decade – there are no hard feelings, Gibson insisted. It did, however, drive home that it really was time to move on. “I just personally felt that I had more to offer,” Gibson said. “It’s nothing against anybody there. They have their own way of looking at it. They’ve got a great young goalie in ‘Dosty’ coming up, and I’m super excited for him. But, at the end of the day, I’ve got to worry about what’s good for my career. I felt like I needed a change of scenery, a fresh start, and I still feel like I have a lot to prove.”
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But what is it, exactly, that he wants to prove? That he can, again, make his case to be considered one of the top goaltenders in the world? Sure, he’s a little older, maybe even starting to sprout some greys, but it wasn’t that long ago, not really, that we at The Hockey News proclaimed Gibson the “NHL’s new best goalie.”
When the aforementioned January 2019 issue hit shelves, the case was fairly straightforward. From the beginning of Gibson’s rookie season in 2015-16 on through to the end of the 2018-19 campaign, scant few netminders’ numbers could match those of Gibson. Across 210 games, he’d posted a .922 save percentage, 2.42 goals-against average and 16 shutouts. Among the 65 goaltenders who had played at least 50 games over the same span, those were good for the third-, seventh- and eighth-best ranks in the NHL, respectively.
But even more than that, Gibson was carrying his team in a way no other big-league goaltender was. Though there are slight variations from model to model, most advanced-stat aggregators show Gibson as one of the NHL’s elite stoppers during that four-season stretch. That is particularly so when sorting by goals saved above expected – a measure of goals a netminder prevents as compared to the expected performance of a league-average goalie facing similar-quality shots. How good was Gibson? Advanced-stat site evolving-hockey.com had Gibson posting 91.5 goals saved above expected at all strengths from 2015-16 through 2018-19. The next-best goaltender, Sergei Bobrovsky, came in at 56.2.
But as the Ducks’ fortunes took a turn, so did Gibson’s stock. As noted, he hasn’t seen playoff action since 2018. He hasn’t won a playoff game since the campaign prior. And many of the same metrics that once made him appear outstanding have since made him look woefully average or, frankly, worse. To wit, since the start of 2019-20, Gibson ranks 115th out of 165 netminders with a minus-7.8 goals saved above expected.
FOWL PLAY
Advanced stats show Gibson was one of the NHL’s top goalies between 2015 and ’19.
However, it is because Gibson’s statistical downturn coincided with Anaheim’s descent – and not in spite of it – that there remains a belief his best years aren’t behind him. The way Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman sees it, Gibson’s performance over the past several seasons is less a reflection of his ability than it is the realities of playing behind a rebuilding club. “We’re sitting here today banking that John has battled through, that he’s going to be able to maintain a high level.” Yzerman told reporters. “And we like to think that we’re a reasonably solid team that’s moving forward and that he’ll be fine in this role.”
It’s tough being in one place for so long, and you’ve got to say bye to a lot of close friendships- JOHN GIBSON
Perhaps that is what most bodes well for Gibson in his quest to reassert himself: he’s not coming in to backstop another rebuilding squad. Detroit was right in the wild-card race until the bitter end last season.
More importantly as it pertains to Gibson, there appears to be a renewed commitment to defending. In the back half of the season, under coach Todd McLellan, the Red Wings were one of the league’s better defensive outfits. Gibson played behind the McLellan-coached Team North America at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, too, and he’s more than familiar with assistant coach Trent Yawney. In fact, it could be the rekindling of that particular relationship that inspires the most confidence that a return to prior form is possible. “I grew up with him,” Gibson said. “He was my first coach in (AHL) Norfolk, and then I had him for quite a few years in Anaheim. Having some familiar faces with Trent Yawney and Todd definitely helps ease the transition.”
That transition, though, will take time. Yes, there are the logistical challenges – moving houses, getting the kids settled and learning the ins and outs of a new city – but there is also the emotional weight of it all. For so long, Gibson has been synonymous with the Ducks. He doesn’t know what big-league life looks like outside of Anaheim.
But the new challenge comes with a certain thrill. In Detroit, Gibson believes he can pursue the post-season again. He has the opportunity to be part of an Original Six franchise. And, as he said time and again, he gets the chance to prove that the Gibson of old is still in there. What could be better than that? “It’s just a really exciting time,” he said. “I’m really privileged and honored to be coming in and be a part of it all.”
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The Hockey News has released its archive to all THN subscribers: 76 years of history, stories, and features.