Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis offers a list of his “most interesting goaltending battles” of the 2025-2026 season:
Detroit Red Wings
John Gibson and Cam Talbot
The Red Wings traded for Gibson at the 2025 NHL Draft, giving them what should be an upgrade over Lyon. And the timing is good, too. Despite missing the start of the season – and thus losing the starter’s gig to Lukas Dostal – Gibson battled back to post some of the best numbers of his 12-year NHL career. At his best, Gibson is fully capable of stealing games.
But was his 29-game clip last year legit? Can the Red Wings be fully confident in him? Or will 38-year-old Cam Talbot have something to say about that? Talbot was great in stretches last year, with his numbers in December suggesting he’d be a good fit for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off. He can be a bit hot-and-cold, but when he’s hot, Talbot can be lights out. He’ll want to secure as many starts as possible and prove he can still be Detroit’s No. 1 – but Gibson will be a tough nemesis. Either way, it’s a solid duo.
