At long last, it appears the Red Wings have found themselves a No. 1 goalie.
Detroit has acquired John Gibson from the Ducks in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick, a 2026 fourth-round pick and goalie Petr Mrazek. The Red Wings will take on the rest of Gibson's contract, which pays him $6.4 million per year for two more seasons.
The Ducks, meanwhile, will absorb Mrazek's $4.25 million expiring contract this season.
Gibson, who turns 32 in July, is coming off a resurgent season in which he posted a .911 save percentage and 2.77 goals against average but played in just 29 games due to upper-body and lower-body injuries.
When healthy, he's a proven performer, with a career save percentage of .910; the NHL average last season was .900. Of course, durability is one of the big questions he faces in Detroit. Upper-body and lower-body injuries also limited Gibson to 46 games in 2023-24.
The other question is whether his numbers last year represented a real bounce-back after five subpar seasons or a mirage due to limited exposure. Gibson had a .921 save percentage over his first five NHL seasons, tied for the second best mark in the league over that stretch. He plummeted to .900 over his next five, tied for 46th -- behind some admittedly leaky teams -- before snapping back last season. Next season will be telling.
For Steve Yzerman, it's worth it to find out. The Red Wings have been searching for a true No. 1 option in net for the duration of his tenure as general manager. Detroit hasn't finished in the top half of the league in team save percentage over a full season since 2015-16, the last time the club made the playoffs. The Wings finished last season at .896, tied for 20th, behind Cam Talbot, Mrazek and Alex Lyon, who's likely to depart as a free agent.
Yzerman said on NHL Network shortly after the trade that he and Ducks GM Pat Verbeek -- formerly Yzerman's assistant GM in both Detroit and Tampa, and his former teammate -- first started talking about a Gibson deal around last season's trade deadline, but "the timing of it didn’t really work out" due to Gibson's injuries.
"Leading up to the draft, as we all do our offseason work, we’ve had some discussions and as we got closer here, able to (work it out), so it’s been in talks for a while," Yzerman said.
Gibson has spent the duration of his 12-year career in Anaheim, who drafted him in the second round in 2011. He was seeking a change of scenery this summer as the Ducks prepare to turn over the crease to 25-year-old Lukas Dostal, Gibson's runningmate for the last few seasons.
"Our understanding was, they have an excellent young goaltender in Dostal, and John was looking for a fresh start and saw an opportunity in Detroit to get in the net and play a lot of games," Yzerman said. "I look forward to speaking with him and been assured he’s excited he’s coming to Detroit, and we’re excited to have him."
Talbot is under contract for one more season, and is best suited for a No. 2 role at this stage of his career. He turns 38 in July. If -- a big 'if -- both he and Gibson can stay healthy, they should form a dependable tandem in net for a team that badly needs one.
The duo should also provide the Red Wings a bridge to their top goaltending prospect Sebastian Cossa, the 22-year-old who was an All-Star last season in his second year with Grand Rapids but faded down the stretch and into the playoffs. The Red Wings also have 20-year-old Trey Augustine in the pipeline.
With their goaltending situation resolved, the Red Wings can shift their focus to bolstering their blueline and forward corps as they try to snap a nine-year playoff drought. They are in need of another top-six winger and another top-four defenseman if they intend to take a step forward in the East. They could use more toughness and tenacity throughout their lineup, something Yzerman has acknowledged himself.
Asked what might be next this offseason, Yzerman said, "We’ll continue to explore the trade options. The free agency market at a lot of positions is pretty thin, but there are players that we would have some interest in if they’re still free on July 1."
Panthers forward Sam Bennett, for example, felt like a perfect target for the Wings, but already re-signed with Florida on a long-term deal. There are still some quality defensemen set to hit the market, including Aaron Ekblad and Vladislav Gavrikov, but Yzerman isn't banking on such difference-makers being available.
The Red Wings could instead aim for restricted free agents via trade. They've been rumored to be in on Rangers defensemen K'Andre Miller. Bowen Byram of the Sabres could likewise draw their interest as a mobile, top-four option on the blueline.
Yzerman could also be eyeing players currently under contract who've been bandied about on the trade market. Stars forward Jason Robertson and Flames defensemen Rasmus Andersonn are obvious fits, but neither would come cheap.
"Again, we’ve got some spots we’d like to upgrade on our roster, or open roster spots," Yzerman said. "We’ll see if we can address it in free agency. I’m not that optimistic, to be honest with you, because there’s more teams than there are players for what we’re looking for. And we’ll continue to see if we can’t do something through trade, and once the draft settles down and once the initial July 1 free agency rush subsides, see what teams are looking to do after that."