The Detroit Red Wings are rolling the dice on a veteran goalie tandem this upcoming season. One of the most glaring needs for the Wings this past season was a reliable starting goaltender who could shoulder most of the load.
It wasn’t that Cam Talbot played poorly. It’s that he wasn’t as consistent as the club would have hoped. Additionally, Alex Lyon was a solid backup. But he wasn’t going to lead the Red Wings to a playoff spot.
Well, Lyon is gone now, Talbot remains, and John Gibson is in. While Gibson was a solid move, he’s still pretty much a question mark.
Gibson played 29 games last season, sporting a 2.77 GAA and a .912 SV%. The GAA is a little high, but that could have been the result of playing for the Anaheim Ducks. The .912 SV%, however, was much more encouraging.
The problem is that Gibson’s numbers haven’t looked all that flattering over the last few seasons. In 2023-24, Gibson played in 46 games, racking up a 3.54 GAA and an .888 SV%. The year before, he had a 3.99 GAA and an .899 SV% in 53 games.
Was that the result of playing in Anaheim? Or is there something to be concerned about?
If we attribute Gibson’s atrocious numbers to an equally atrocious team in front of him, Gibson should rebound this upcoming season. A much better Red Wings’ defense should help Gibson improve his numbers.
But then again, can the Red Wings count on Gibson for 50 to 60 starts? That seems unlikely at this point. That’s why Talbot will need to pick up the slack as much as possible. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to see Gibson and Talbot split the starts.
We could see Gibson get roughly 40 to 45 starts, while Talbot picks up 30 to 35. The remainder of the games could feature top goaltending prospect Sebastian Cossa. If the Red Wings are poised to become a playoff club, Talbot and Gibson will need to stay as sharp as possible throughout the season.
Red Wings veteran tandem could falter at any time
The biggest risk for the Red Wings is their goaltending tandem faltering at any time. For instance, Gibson could go down with an injury at some point in the season. Perhaps fatigue will take over if the club rides him too much.
Then, Talbot may prove he’s good, but not good enough to lead the Red Wings to a playoff spot. If Gibson goes down, could Talbot be the guy to pick up the slack? He could for a short while. But for an extended period, it may be unplausible to think Talbot could be a guy who could end up starting over 50 games.
One would have to think that GM Steve Yzerman has a backup plan. What that backup plan is remains to be seen. So, the best Red Wings fans can hope for is that Talbot and Gibson stay healthy and coach Todd McLellan can wisely manage their workloads.