The Anaheim Ducks have traded goalie John Gibson to the Detroit Red Wings for Petr Mrazek, a 2027 second-round pick, and a 2026 fourth-round pick.

After years of rumors, the Ducks finally pulled the trigger on a Gibson trade. A cap hit of $6.4 million with multiple years remaining made it difficult for teams to commit. However, the time and team made it easier for the Ducks to finally find a trade partner in 2025. Gibson has only two years remaining on his contract, and the Wings have struggled to find stability in net during their rebuild period. Mrazek, Cam Talbot, Alex Lyon, Ville Husso, and Sebastian Cossa all saw game action in net for the Wings in 2024-25, while Jack Campbell was in the organization.

Gibson is perceived as the better goalie in the trade, and the Wings had to add picks with Mrazek to acquire him. However, the goaltending numbers for the two goalies have been remarkably similar over the past three seasons, with Mrazek even holding the edge in the majority of categories (Frozen Tools Compare Goalies). The Red Wings are taking a chance that Gibson can reach his previous upside as one of the league's better starters, as injuries and carrying a rebuilding Anaheim squad were major hurdles in maintaining his early-career performance.

As for where Gibson fits with the Wings, he could split starts with Talbot, who has one year remaining. Gibson has by far the larger cap hit over Talbot ($2.5 million AAV), yet Gibson played just 29 games last season. That wasn't just due to injury – he was often splitting starts with Lukas Dostal when he was healthy. In more limited action, Gibson was more effective in 2024-25 than in previous seasons, as his 10.29 GSAx ranked 19^th among 53 goalies who had played at least 25 games. In comparison, Talbot finished with a 2.82 GSAx, which was 26^th and around the league average. Gibson is probably the opening-night starter, but don't be surprised if the workload is split something like 55%/45% in favor of Gibson.

By trading Gibson, the Ducks shed over $2 million in cap space, which will help them sign RFA Dostal. With around $38 million in cap space, the Ducks could also be players in free agency. The Ducks only have to commit to Mrazek for one season, as he will be a UFA in 2026. Dostal proved himself as an effective starter in 2024-25 with a 12.04 GSAx, which ranked 16^th among goalies that played at least 25 games (just ahead of Gibson). Although Mrazek played 56 games in 2023-24 for the rebuilding Blackhawks, he shouldn't be viewed as the Ducks starter here. He should easily appear in at least 30 games for the Ducks, though.

Players this helps, in order:

Dostal

Gibson

Players this hurts, in order:

Talbot

Sebastian Cossa

Trey Augustine

Discuss the trade in this thread on the Forum.