It’s no secret that John Gibson’s start with the Detroit Red Wings has not gone as anyone involved had envisioned or wanted, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t turn around with some wins on this current six-game road trip.
Through the 32-year-old’s first 15 games with his new team, the veteran netminder has posted a 6-7-1 record, with a 3.58 goals-against average and a 0.869 save percentage, far off from the career numbers of the three-time all-star.
Acquired in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks for Petr Mrázek, a second-round pick in 2027 and a fourth-round pick in 2026, the hope was for Gibson to come in and take the crease as the Red Wings’ number one goaltender, a role that the Red Wings have been lacking since Jimmy Howard held that role.
Since Howard’s last game in the 2019-20 season, 12 different goaltenders have started for the Red Wings. Being on the fringe of the playoffs the past two years, this was a team desperately looking for a number one.
Enter Gibson, who over parts of 12 seasons with the Ducks racked up 204 wins and 24 shutouts, all while becoming the Ducks’ statistical leader in many goaltending categories. Last season, the Pennsylvania native appeared in 29 games, posting an 11-11-2 record with a 2.77 goals-against average and 0.912 save percentage, numbers that would have led the Red Wings’ goaltenders.
The debut in front of Wings fans got off on the wrong foot in the Red Wings’ home opener, as Gibson gave up five goals on 13 shots before being pulled. In 15 games this year, Gibson has allowed four or more goals nine times, a stark contrast to what fans around the National Hockey League have come to expect of Gibson.
John Gibson has looked better in recent games
Gibson has now won his past two starts, beating the Seattle Kraken on Saturday night and defeating the Boston Bruins on Dec. 2, by a score of 5-4 on home ice, which was his first win since Oct. 28. There were a few goals he and fans alike may have wanted stopped, but wins are wins in this league.
Speaking after the Bruins game on Dec. 2, to the media, Red Wings’ head coach Todd McLellan praised his netminder’s efforts, “It was very much a rollercoaster-type game for a goaltender to play in,” McLellan said. “At the end of the night, he got the win, so it can't do anything but help his confidence, the team’s confidence, so I'm happy for him.”
With fellow goalie Cam Talbot faltering against Columbus on Thursday and he, himself, posting albeit better, but still sub-par numbers, 9-4-2 record, 3.01 goals-against average and 0.884 save percentage, the door has swung open for Gibson to take the crease and claim the number one role.
McLellan announced on Friday that Gibson would be patrolling the crease when the Wings squared off with the Kraken and Gibson responded with his second straight win, stopping 24/27 shots in the victory.
With four more games left on this road trip, Gibson appears primes to see himself starting in at least three of them, with the idea he will finally become the guy the Red Wings thought they were getting when they acquired him.