The Detroit Red Wings returned from the Olympic break looking to keep up the pace to ensure they clinched their first playoff berth since 2016. The Red Wings picked up a 2-1 overtime win over the Ottawa Senators in their first game back, but lost huge to the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday. The Red Wings were expected to be big buyers at the trade deadline, in hopes of adding top talent to improve their odds of making it into the playoffs.
On Monday, the Red Wings saw one of their top players exit with an injury.
At the start of the second period for the Red Wings vs. Nashville Predators game, goalie John Gibson was replaced by backup Cam Talbot, leaving fans and viewers confused. Shortly thereafter, the Red Wings officially announced that Gibson was "unlikely" to return to the game due to an upper body injury.
UPDATE: John Gibson (upper body injury) is unlikely to return to today's game.
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 2, 2026
John Gibson leaves Red Wings game vs. Predators with upper body injury
There is no official word as to how serious of an injury Gibson is dealing with, other than that it's enough to likely keep him sidelined for the remainder of the game. From there on, fans will have to wait for additional updates from the team or head coach Todd McLellan after the game.
Before exiting, Gibson stopped 10-of-11 shots in 20 minutes of playing time.
If Gibson is to miss some time, it will only hurt Detroit's chances of making that playoff push. The team had long been in search of a stout goaltender in recent years. They made the move for Gibson, and it paid off tremendously thus far.
After a rough start to his tenure in Detroit, Gibson locked in starting in December. In 10 games, Gibson posted a 9-1-0 record, two shutouts, a 2.21 goals allowed average, and a .925 save percentage. In January, Gibson put up an 8-3-1 record, a 2.13 goals allowed average, and a .920 save percentage.
In total, Gibson has a 23-12-2 record, a 2.13 goals allowed average, and a .905 save percentage.
If Gibson is going to miss time, the Red Wings will have to rely on Talbot, who has a 11-8-4 record, a 3.08 goals allowed average, and a .890 save percentage through 25 games.
We will continue to keep you updated on Gibson's status once more details are provided.