Ducks Lose John Gibson in Mock Expansion Draft

The Anaheim Ducks gave up their franchise goaltender in a mock expansion draft.

Mar 26, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; The puck sits in front of Anaheim Ducksgoalie John Gibson (36) and. Seattle Kraken forward Matty Beniers (10) during the first period at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports

The Arizona Coyotes are no longer in the NHL, but there is hope that a franchise could return to the desert one day. For now, the Utah Hockey Club is here and the Coyotes are a thing of the past. Looking forward, the NHL seems intent on bringing hockey back to Arizona. When the time comes, the league will have its third expansion draft since 2000.

Which is why mock expansion drafts are already popping up, with some intriguing names making the list. One of the biggest names to appear on a recent Bleacher Report mock draft is also one of the most surprising, as Anaheim Ducks' goaltender John Gibson could be a potential expansion draft selection.

Gibson has been patrolling the Ducks' crease since 2014. The organization selected Gibson in the second round of the 2011 draft and he's been the team's franchise netminder for the last decade.

The issue is that Gibson's struggled over the last few seasons in Anaheim. Over the last three seasons he's posted mediocre goals against averages of 3.54, 3.99, and 3.19 respectively. His save percentages were not much better, stopping just 89% and 90% of the shots against him.

It's hard to pinpoint the problems for Gibson. He hasn't been an elite goaltender since arguably the 2018-19 season, but the team in front of him has been progressively worse in the years since. Now at 31 years old, he still has three seasons remaining and earns an average annual salary of $6 million.

Which is why the Ducks could be eager to cut ties with one of their longest tenured players. The organization has gone from playoff team to rebuilding with Gibson and the next few seasons are an excellent time to start fresh. They have a totally new core of young players including the 24 year old netminder Lukas Dostal ready for a larger role, leaving little room for the veteran in their future plans.

While there is no plans for an organization to return to Arizona in the near future, that can change in a moment. If and when the NHL returns to the desert, there is a great chance that John Gibson could be heading there in the next expansion draft.

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