Fresh off a dominant second-half surge in Detroit, the veteran netminder enters a high-stakes contract year poised to shoulder a massive workload and crush his current ADP.
Many goaltenders in recent years have proven that age is just a number, and John Gibson is looking to do the same. After a strong first season in Hockeytown, the 33-year-old enters the final year of the eight-year deal he originally signed with Anaheim back in 2018, and he's positioned as one of the biggest fantasy sleepers in the league.
Gibson delivered exactly what Detroit needed in his first year with the franchise, appearing in 57 games and posting a 29-22-4 record with a 2.72 goals-against average, a .901 save percentage and four shutouts. Those numbers led the Red Wings in both wins and GAA, and the season didn't come easily.
Gibson struggled through his first six weeks in Detroit, ranking near the bottom of the league by several advanced metrics as he adjusted to a new system, before finding his footing as the year progressed.
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From December 1 onward, he ranked among the league's best, sitting sixth in adjusted save percentage and third in goals saved above expected, a stretch that included a shutout in Vancouver and an eight-game winning streak. It marked a significant bounce-back after an injury-plagued 2024-25 season in Anaheim that limited him to just 29 appearances.
He'll look to build off that solid season with a chip on his shoulder as he plays for his next contract. With Cam Talbot gone in free agency and Detroit bringing in Daniil Tarasov as a one-year backup, Gibson should have plenty of runway, and he's a strong bet to outplay his current 140th-overall average draft position, along with other netminders being taken ahead of him like Dustin Wolf, Tristan Jarry, Pyotr Kochetkov and Philadelphia's tandem of Joseph Woll and Dan Vladar.
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