Elliotte Friedman reveals why the Edmonton Oilers couldn’t trade for John Gibson


PUBLICATION

Tom Banks
November 14, 2025  (10:21 PM)

John Gibson of the Detroit Red Wings.

Photo credit: Daily Faceoff

The Edmonton Oilers targeted a John Gibson trade this off-season, and now, Elliotte Friedman revealed why the deal couldn’t get done for the then Ducks star.This past summer, many expected the Edmonton Oilers to make a change in net after the duo of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard once again failed to help them win the Stanley Cup.Unfortunately, the goaltending hasn’t improved much in 2025/26, and with Stuart Skinner as their No. 1 once again, fans are getting worried, especially after Kris Knoblauch’s recent comments failed to inspire any hope or optimism.

Elliotte Friedman reveals why John Gibson isn’t an Oiler

One player they seemingly targeted this summer was Anaheim Ducks veteran John Gibson, but eventually, he was acquired by the Detroit Red Wings in a move that many Oilers fans wish their team had made.

However, top NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman recently revealed on Oilers Now the reason behind that, stating that the team told Gibson he would split the No. 1 role with Stuart Skinner, something he clearly didn’t want to do.

I talked about Gibson; one of the issues was that they wanted Gibson to split the job with Skinner; that wasn’t what Gibson wanted to do.

On paper, this makes sense for Gibson, as his job was taken by Lukas Dostal in Anaheim, but with a save percentage of .882 through 10 games with Detroit, he may not have been the saviour of the Oilers like some had expected.

Ultimately, the Oilers have continued competing despite their struggles in net with a record of 8-7-4 this season, but with their goaltending struggles, expect them to do whatever they can moving forward to upgrade in net as they continue their pursuit of a Stanley Cup.

Previously on House Of Hockey

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Elliotte Friedman reveals why the Edmonton Oilers couldn’t trade for John Gibson

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