Yahoo Sports Oilers Trading For John Gibson Would Be A Disaster
John Gibson is back on the block.
The Anaheim Ducks goaltender has been mentioned by both Pierre LeBrun and Elliotte Friedman as a possible trade target for teams looking to improve between the pipes, as he has been for what feels like forever. And once again, the Oilers are reportedly in the mix.
There is absolutely no reason for them to be.
Yes, it's true that the Oilers' goaltending this year has been a massive disappointment, and they could stand to acquire another netminder to share the load with Stuart Skinner. But Gibson is not the man for the job.
John Gibson was once a superstar, one of the best young goalies in the league. But that was a long, long time ago. In fact, it was so long ago that Gibson now has more full seasons with a negative GSAx than a positive one.
His last great season was 2018-19 when he posted a .917 save percentage and saved 13.3 goals above expected in 58 games. That was right after he signed an 8-year, $51.2 million contract extension that would take effect the following season. He turned into a pumpkin basically as soon as the big contract kicked in.
Gibson would go on to post a .900 SV% and allow 60.8 goals above expected in 241 games over the next five seasons, both figures the worst among all goalies with at least 200 games in that span. While the Ducks' collapse over those seasons didn't help, his horrific GSAx numbers say he let the team down more than they let down him.
Gibson has bounced back a little bit in very limited time this season, with a .907 SV% and 2.2 GSAx in four starts after coming back from injury to back up breakout star Lukas Dostal. But four solid starts do not a comeback make.
Trading for Gibson would be ill-advised even if he was making the league minimum. But he's still playing out that big contract, with two years left after this one at $6.4 million per year. Furthermore, the Ducks seem unwilling to retain any salary on their veteran netminder, which should effectively make him completely untradeable.
The bottom line is the Oilers cannot afford to make the mistake of trading for John Gibson. Their porous goaltending has been a major issue through the first two months of the season, and one that needs addressing, but adding Gibson to the mix would be like throwing a cinderblock onto a sinking raft. It's just not worth the risk.
Bookmark The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers team site to never miss news, interviews, or any other updates on the Oilers.
Related: Oilers Connected To John Gibson Once Again
Related: Four Key Oilers Fighting For Spots In 4 Nations Face-Off
Related: Oilers Important Defender Having Huge Year
Related: Oilers Victory Pushes Rangers Over The Edge
