LOS ANGELES – The future of the Anaheim Ducks goal crease was decided on Saturday, and it is now fully in the hands of Lukáš Dostál.
The Ducks traded veteran John Gibson to the Detroit Red Wings for journeyman goaltender Petr Mrázek, a 2026 fourth-round pick and a 2027 second-round pick.
Gibson was Anaheim’s all-time leader in games played by a goaltender (506) and was two wins away from Jean-Sebastien Giguere’s franchise record of 204. Gibson was drafted 39th overall by the Ducks in 2011.
Similarly to Trevor Zegras’ deal to Philadelphia earlier in the week, this is the culmination of years of trade rumors for the 31-year-old goalie, as his stellar play at times wasn’t backed up by the numbers during a down period for the Ducks.
The rise of Dostál during times of injury for Gibson over the last couple seasons altered his handle on the No. 1 spot in Anaheim, and Gibson had made it known he wanted an opportunity as a starter in the league once again.
““We want to thank John for his time with our organization and being an integral part of the Ducks for more than a decade,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said in a statement. “It became clear John wanted a new opportunity, and after many discussions with him we felt now was the right time to make this move. John and his family became a major part of the community and their dedication to Orange County will leave a lasting impact. We wish John and his family all the best in their next chapter.”
Mrázek enters his 14th season in the NHL and will join his sixth different team in Anaheim. The 33-year-old split last season between the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit with 38 appearances in total and a combined 3.35 GAA and .891 save percentage.
Should Mrázek indeed be the Ducks’ back-up netminder next season, it will make for an all Czech goalie tandem with Dostál. Other Ducks goaltenders under contract in the system include another Czech in Tomas Suchanek, along with Damian Clara, Vyacheslav Buteyets and restricted free agent Calle Clang.
Mrázek has one year left on his contract at $4.25 million, and Gibson has two years remaining on his contract at $6.4 million. This frees up $2.15 million in cap space this offseason, which means the Ducks have just over $38 million open going into free agency on Tuesday, July 1.
This also clears space for a big summer of re-signings in 2026, where Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Jackson LaCombe, Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger are all restricted free agents.
John Gibson burst onto the scene in Anaheim with a shutout in his NHL debut in 2014 and a shutout against the Los Angeles Kings in his playoff debut that spring.
Gibson and Frederik Andersen then usurped Jonas Hiller and both battled injuries for the starting job. Despite Andersen starting every game of Anaheim’s 2015 run to the Western Conference Final and ensuing trade rumors, Gibson made his first All-Star appearance next season, as he and Andersen combined for the Jennings Trophy as the goaltending tandem with the lowest goals against.
Gibson became the full-time starter when Andersen was traded in 2016, and he went on to sign an eight-year contract extension in 2018.
The Pittsburgh native maintained a hold on the top job despite recurring injuries over the course of the next several seasons, but it wasn’t until Dostál’s arrival two seasons ago that Gibson’s reign on the crease was threatened.
Gibson missed the beginning of last season due to an emergency appendectomy, which allowed Dostál to shoulder the load and prove his worth as a No. 1 netminder. Gibson bounced back with his best GAA (2.77) since 2017-18 and best save percentage (.912) since 2018-19.
Trades were reportedly explored near the trade deadline this season, but another injury suffered by Gibson coming out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break cooled trade talks. Yet another injury followed after that that sat Gibson out for the remaining seven games of the season and unable to chase the Ducks all-time wins record.
Gibson gets a fresh start in Detroit and a chance to prove himself as a No. 1 goaltender once more.