For the first time in his 12-year career, John Gibson will not be taking the ice for the Anaheim Ducks. Their former second round pick started 494 games for the Ducks and was selected to the All-Star Game on three occasions.
During the NHL Draft, the Red Wings would complete the trade for Gibson with the Ducks for Petr Mrazek and two draft picks. The Red Wings only make this trade if they believe that Gibson can bounce back to being close to that All-Star level he showed earlier in his career.
They don't have to look too far back either as he didn't make the All-Star Game but still had a save percentage of .911 and a goals against average of 2.77. While he did have a record of 11-11-2, that is more of a reflection of the team he had in front of him as he had a quality start percentage of .679, which is the highest percentage of his career.
Detroit Red Wings have a tough start to the season but John Gibson should welcome the chance to silence the critics
The first 10 games for the Red Wings are not easy, with eight of those games against teams that were in the playoffs last season. They were also some of the better scoring teams, as the only game against teams not in the top half of the league is the New York Islanders.
However, these teams may not be as strong as they seem, as they have two games against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but they are going to be trying to figure out how to replace Mitch Marner. After that, the Red Wings play the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, but the Panthers are without Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov.
The Buffalo Sabres traded away JJ Peterka and don't have a clear answer of who is going to replace that production, while the St. Louis Blues traded away Zachary Bolduc, who was almost a 20-goal scorer. As tough as it seems, this feels like it is setting up perfectly for Gibson to get off to a fast start against some quality opponents.
Last season, Gibson did a lot to keep the Ducks in games without much help. Entering this season, he has a chance to make a great first impression for his new fans and really prove that he can still be a productive goalie for a winning team.