Red Wings acquire goalie John Gibson from the Ducks

The Detroit Red Wings acquired John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday, a trade of the veteran goaltender that could start the dominos falling around the NHL with several teams looking for help in the net.

Detroit sent backup goalie Petr Mrazek, a 2027 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-rounder to Anaheim for Gibson, whose name has been in trade rumors for several years. No salary was retained.

"John, throughout the course of his career, has been a proven starter, and a good starter, in the NHL," Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman said on a video call with reporters.

"As Anaheim has gone through their rebuilding process, I think it probably affected his play a little bit, and as their team gets better, and they have a good, young goaltender in (Lukas) Dostal, John (is) looking for more opportunities to play, and we're counting on him, obviously, to give us quality starts and upgrade our team in the net."

Gibson, 31, has spent his first 12 years in the league with Anaheim and has two more remaining on his contract at a salary cap hit of $6.4 million. He started 28 games last season, compared to Dostal's 49.

Ducks GM Pat Verbeek worked under Yzerman for a decade, and the two began speaking about Gibson before the trade deadline in March. Injuries derailed a move then, but set the table for the western Pennsylvania native to go to Hockeytown.

"We want to thank John for his time with our organization and being an integral part of the Ducks for more than a decade," 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."

Net requirements

Back-to-back Western Conference champion Edmonton, rebuilding Philadelphia and others are expected to pursue a goaltender this offseason, and the list of unrestricted free agents with starting experience is not long. Jake Allen, Ilya Samsonov, Anton Forsberg and Ville Husso are among the top options available.

A restricted free agent is off the market after St. Louis re-signed goaltender Joel Hofer to a two-year deal worth $6.8 million. GM Doug Armstrong had warned colleagues not to think about tendering an offer sheet for Hofer, saying earlier in the week: "You're not going to get him."

Other moves

A few minor trades materialized on Day 2 of the draft. Los Angeles sent 24-year-old D-man Jordan Spence to Ottawa for the 67th pick and Colorado's sixth-rounder in 2026; Buffalo dealt Connor Clifton and a second-round pick to the Penguins for Conor Timmins and Isaac Belliveau, and Washington acquired Declan Chisholm from Minnesota for a swap of picks and minor-leaguer Chase Priskie.

Agencies Via Xinhua