Red Wings acquire John Gibson from Anaheim for Petr Mrazek, draft picks

Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman…

Update: Ducks Presser:

The Ducks have acquired goaltender Petr Mrázek, a 2027 second round and 2026 fourth round selection from the Detroit Red Wings for goaltender John Gibson.

“We want to thank John for his time with our organization and being an integral part of the Ducks for more than a decade,” said Ducks General Manager Pat Verbeek. “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. John and his family became a major part of the community and their dedication to Orange County will leave a lasting impact. We wish John and his family all the best in their next chapter.”

Mrázek, 33 (2/14/92), has compiled a 180-176-40 record with 26 shutouts, a 2.85 goals-against average (GAA) and .906 save percentage (SV%) in 428 career NHL games (397 starts) with Detroit (2012-18 & 2024-25), Chicago (2022-25), Toronto (2021-22), Carolina (2018-21) and Philadelphia (2017-18). He split the 2024-25 seasons between Chicago and Detroit, posting a 12-21-2 mark with one shutout.

Originally selected by Detroit in the fifth round (141st overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Mrázek has also appeared in 29 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, posting a 12-15 record with five shutouts, a 2.43 GAA and .911 SV% while helping Carolina reach the 2019 Eastern Conference Final.

The 6-2, 188-pound goaltender set single-season career bests in wins (27-16-6), GAA (2.33) and SV% (.921) in 2015-16 with Detroit. Mrázek also earned a 55-28-4 record with seven shutouts, a 2.23 GAA and.920 SV% in 89 career American Hockey League (AHL) games with Grand Rapids, Chicago and Toronto. He led Grand Rapids to a Calder Cup championship in 2013.

A native of Ostrava, Czechia, Mrázek has represented Czechia at three World Championships (2012, 2017, 2024), including a gold medal at the 2024 tournament with current Ducks Lukas Dostal and Radko Gudas. He also appeared at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, 2012 World Junior Championship (bronze medal, named the tournament’s best goaltender) and 2009 U-18 World Championship.

Gibson, 31 (7/14/93), appeared in 506 career NHL games with Anaheim from 2014-25, posting a 204-217-63 record with 24 shutouts, a 2.89 GAA and .910 SV%. After making his NHL debut at the end of the 2013-14 season (12 NHL seasons), Gibson led all-time Ducks goaltenders in appearances, starts (494), saves (14,034), was second in wins and third in shutouts.

Selected by Anaheim in the second round (39th overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft, Gibson went 11-11-2 in 29 appearances in 2024-25, posting a 2.77 GAA and .912 SV%. The 6-2, 210-pound goaltender combined with Frederik Andersen to win the first William M. Jennings Trophy in franchise history (192 goals against) and represented Anaheim at three NHL All-Star Games (2015-16, 2017-18, 2021-22).

A native of Pittsburgh, Penn., Gibson represented Team USA at the 2013 World Championship (bronze), 2013 World Junior Championship (gold, tournament MVP), 2012 World Junior Championship and 2011 U-18 World Championship (gold). He also played for Team North America at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Per TSN:

Gibson, 31, is entering the seventh season of an eight-year, $51.2 million deal with an annual cap hit of $6.4 million. He is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2026-27 campaign.

The 6-foot-2 netminder had a 11-11-2 record in Anaheim last season with a 2.77 goals-against average and .912 save percentage. He missed the first 13 games of the season after undergoing an emergency appendectomy during training camp.

Gibson and goaltender Frederik Andersen shared the William M. Jennings Trophy in 2016 after the Ducks’ tandem allowed only 192 goals for the season.

Drafted 39th overall by the Ducks in 2011, Gibson has a career 204-217-63 record with a .910 save percentage and 2.89 GAA.

The Pittsburgh native represented the United States at the 2013 World Championship in Sweden and Finland, going 3-1 with a .951 save percentage and 1.56 GAA to help take home a bronze medal.

CBS Sports:

Gibson, who is just 31, was once a top-three franchise netminder in the NHL, but Lukas Dostal became the man between the pipes in Anaheim with Gibson on the bench. In a pure back-up role in 2024-25, he went 11-11-2 with a 2.73 GAA and .912 save percentage. But he has struggled mightily since 2019-20 as the Ducks went through a rebuild. Can he resurrect his once lofty standing in the league? The Wings are banking on him being better than average for sure, with the potential that he truly becomes a phoenix rising from the ashes. Cam Talbot, who is 37 and on the downside of his solid career, is signed for one more season at $2.5 million. The two could platoon to start, with Gibson ultimately seizing the majority of the starts by mid-season.

SI’s Jacob Punturi:

The 31-year-old goalie will play for the second franchise of his NHL career after over a decade in Anaheim. A former second-round pick of the Ducks’ franchise, he became the engine for the organization as they went on their final few runs in the Western Conference alongside Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and company. He’s played 506 NHL games, winning 204 and posting a career goals-against average of 2.89 and a save percantage of .910.

Over the past few seasons, Gibson’s lost his starting position to up-and-comer Lukas Dostal. Last year, Gibson played just 29 games, going 11-11-2 with a 2.77 GAA and .912 save percentage. With the arrival of Dostal and injuries taking him off the ice, a change was needed for some time.

Now, he’ll get the chance to be a starter again while another youngster earns the net in Detroit. Former Wings’ first-round pick Sebastien Cossa is almost ready for full-time NHL action, but could use some mentoring from an experienced and successful netminder like Gibson.

The Athletic’s Max Bultman and Eric Stephens weigh in:

How much better does this make Detroit?

That depends on how much of last year’s bounce-back Gibson can repeat, but from 2014 to 2019, Gibson had a sterling .921 save percentage. That figure dipped significantly as the Ducks entered their rebuild, but the uptick last year was a reminder that Gibson (who will turn 32 later this month) still has more in the tank. The question, after serving in a No. 2 role last year, might be what kind of workload he can manage, while still sustaining that improved play.

The $6.4 million cap hit isn’t cheap, but much of it is offset by sending Mrázek (who was set to make $4.25 million next year) back to Anaheim. That still leaves the Red Wings plenty of room to work as they seek to snap a nine-year playoff drought. So while Gibson’s true level at this stage of his career remains to be seen, this is a fairly inexpensive bet for the Red Wings, and Gibson’s upside is that of a legit starter. — Max Bultman, Red Wings beat reporter

The Free Press’s Helene St. James weighs in as well…

Gibson projects to bring stability to Detroit’s net, forming a tandem with Cam Talbot, who is in the last year of his contract.

Gibson (6 feet 2, 214 pounds) has a career 2.89 goals-against average and .910 save percentage in 506 games, all with the Ducks, who drafted the Pittsburgh native in the second round in 2011.

Most recently, Gibson had a 11-11-2 record last season with a 2.77 goals-against average and .912 save percentage. He missed the first 13 games of the season after undergoing an emergency appendectomy.

And The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus and Shayna Goldman give a grade to the trade:

Shayna Goldman: The will-they-won’t-they saga is finally over in Anaheim. Gibson has been a staple on most trade boards in recent years, but the asking price seemed to be far too high for a goaltender with so many question marks.

Peak Gibson was elite. He saved upwards of 24 goals above expected in three consecutive seasons, from 2016-17 to 2018-19. But his numbers tanked from there. And so did the team around him. The Ducks’ defense just eroded in front of him over the last six years; in each season since, Anaheim has been a bottom-10 team in expected goals against in all situations. In most seasons, Gibson would handle the chaos to a point and then just hit a wall, likely due to an overwhelming workload.

As much as a playoff hopeful could project that his game would rebound in better surroundings, goaltending is extremely volatile.

To Gibson’s credit, he is coming off of one of his better seasons in recent years by the numbers. He earned a 0.912 save percentage, his best since 2018-19, and saved 11.7 goals above expected. But with the good came the bad: Injuries that added even more question marks to the situation.

It makes sense why a trade didn’t come together sooner with all of that in mind, considering the term left on Gibson’s deal and the Ducks’ high asking price. Management really hurt their leverage over the years because it was clear Gibson’s timeline didn’t line up with the rebuild process and then Dostál’s emergence showed their future in net.

At this point, the return was never going to be that special. The Ducks overplayed their hand and have to pay for that now. But at least that contract is off the books and the team can look forward, not back.

From the Red Wings’ point of view, it’s a really interesting gamble. Five different goalies played at least one game last year, so it makes sense that the team would want some stability moving forward. But can Gibson be that? It’s a wild card at this point, but for this price, it’s worth giving it a shot. The Red Wings’ defense is far from perfect (especially on the PK), but he shouldn’t be as exposed as he was in Anaheim.

The question now is what the Red Wings are planning to do next — is a Gibson-Talbot net the move, or could there be another deal to clear the way for Cossa?

Red Wings grade: B
Ducks grade: C+

Here’s ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski, too:

Gibson, 31, was considered by many to be the best goaltender potentially available this offseason. He’s been rumored to be on the move for multiple seasons thanks to his manageable cap hit and the Ducks’ lack of success in the standings. The emergence of 25-year-old goalie Lukas Dostal for Anaheim over the last two seasons made trading Gibson more feasible. The fact that Gibson only had a 10-team no-trade clause opened up the market for the Pittsburgh native.

After an outstanding rookie season in 2015-16 that saw him finish seventh for the Calder and Vezina trophies, Gibson’s numbers remained solid even as the Ducks slipped from playoff contention. They dipped from 2022-24 before rebounding last year when Gibson had a .911 save percentage and a 2.77 goals-against average in 29 games, despite dealing with a series of injuries.

For his career, Gibson is 204-217-63 in 506 games with a .910 save percentage and a 2.89 goals-against average.

Mrazek, 33, is signed through next season with a $4.25 million cap hit. Anaheim will be his sixth team in 14 NHL seasons. Mrazek was 12-21-2 in 38 games between Chicago and Detroit, with an .891 save percentage and a 3.35 goals-against average. Mrazek and Dostal are both Czech.

Here’s NHL.com:

Gibson has two seasons remaining on the eight-year contract he signed with Anaheim on Aug. 4, 2018. He is 204-217-63 with a 2.89 GAA, a .910 save percentage and 24 shutouts in 506 regular-season games (494 starts) and 11-13 with a 2.80 GAA, a .912 save percentage and one shutout in 26 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

He earned the William Jennings Trophy, given to the goalie on the team with the fewest goals-against, after the 2015-16 season when he was 21-13-4 with a .920 save percentage and 2.07 GAA in 40 games. He shared the award with teammate Frederik Andersen.

In the past two seasons, Lukas Dostal has emerged as the No. 1 goalie in Anaheim. The 25-year-old was 23-23-7 this season with a 3.29 GAA and a .902 save percentage.

Gibson is the Ducks’ all-time leader in starts, saves (14,034), and is second in wins and third in shutouts.

“We want to thank John for his time with our organization and being an integral part of the Ducks for more than a decade,” Anaheim general manager Pat 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. John and his family became a major part of the community and their dedication to Orange County will leave a lasting impact.

“We wish John and his family all the best in their next chapter.”

Update: From Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen:

Friedman has reported earlier this week that the Red Wings were trying to swing a deal to improve their goaltending.  Detroit was tied for 20th last season in team save percentage (.896) and ranked 21st with a 3.16 team GAA.

“Pat (Verbeek) and I had some discussions last season around the trade deadline,” Detroit GM Steve Yzerman told E.J. Hradek during NHL’s draft coverage on ESPN+. “John was dealing with some injuries at that time and so the timing of it didn’t really work. And just following leading up to the draft, as we all do our offseason work, we’ve had some discussions.”

Yzerman hadn’t talked to Gibson when he did that interview.

“I just actually placed a call into John. I haven’t talked to him yet,” Yzerman said. “But no, there was no need to convince him. Our understanding was he was looking . . . they have an excellent young goaltender in Dostal. John was looking for a fresh start and saw an opportunity in Detroit to get in the net and play a lot of games. So, I look forward to speaking with him and I’ve been assured he’s excited to come to Detroit and we’re excited to have him.”

The Hockey News’s Derek Lee offered the Ducks’ perspective…

For Gibson, this trade is an opportunity to be a No. 1 goaltender again, something that the Red Wings desperately needed. There have been concerns about Gibson’s injury history, which is perhaps why he wasn’t moved at the trade deadline this past season. But when he was healthy, Gibson had one of his best performances in recent years during the 2024-25 season. If he can continue that standard of play in 2025-26.

In Mrázek (33), Anaheim is getting a veteran who can be dependable in a backup role. Dostál’s teammate at the international level, his two-year, $4.25 AAV deal expires at the end of the 2025-26 season.

Gibson concludes his Ducks career as the franchise leader in games played and saves, coming just three wins shy of passing Jean-Sébastien Giguère’s for first on the franchise wins leaderboard. Making his mark as a 20-year-old goaltender with a shutout in his NHL debut, Gibson formed a formidable goaltending tandem with Frederik Andersen. The pair won the William M. Jennings Trophy in 2016 and Gibson backstopped the Ducks in several playoff series.

The back half of Gibson’s Ducks career will likely be remembered as a mixed bag, with the team nosediving into mediocrity while Gibson’s workload perhaps became so overbearing to the point where he was tasked to do much more than he needed or had to do. His typically calm demeanor made his outbursts of emotion entertaining for fans and media alike.

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George Malik

My name is George Malik, and I'm the Malik Report's editor/blogger/poster. I have been blogging about the Red Wings since 2006, and have worked with MLive and Kukla's Korner. Thank you for reading!