Report: Gibson's Health Primary Concern over Contract, Ability - Yahoo Sports
The NHL trade deadline is upon us, and it is scheduled for Friday at noon PST. John Gibson is the top goaltender reportedly on the trade market, and his reported preferences are the Edmonton Oilers and Carolina Hurricanes.
Report: Hurricanes Have Checked In on Gibson, but Price Needs to Be Lower
The Anaheim Ducks defeated the Oilers at Rogers Place on Tuesday evening by a score of 6-2. A scoreline like this, paired with a combined save percentage of .778 from Oilers’ netminders Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard, along with -3.66 goals saved above expected, might lead to blame being placed on the Edmonton crease. However, there wasn’t much either goalie could have done to stop most of the six goals scored by Anaheim.
The only goal scored by the Ducks that an Edmonton goalie may have regretted letting in was Mason McTavish’s first goal, Anaheim’s second of the game, in which he scored from a poor angle at the bottom of the left circle. However, there was a moving screen and McTavish placed the shot perfectly to beat Pickard on the far side. The other five goals scored by the Ducks were directly caused by one or several defensive lapses by the Oilers' skaters in front of Pickard and Skinner.
Tuesday’s game aside, many in the national media have voiced concerns over the need for an upgrade in the Oilers’ crease if they intend to get over the hump and hoist the Stanley Cup in June. Premier insider Elliotte Friedman joined “The FAN Hockey Show” on Wednesday to discuss the Oilers’ approach to the trade deadline and possibly upgrading their goaltending position.
“The Oilers have indicated that they just are not convinced there’s a better option out there (than what they already have) for the price that it’s going to be,” Friedman said. “I think the thing with Gibson, I think he would wave to Edmonton. However, I think he wants to know that he’s going to be the clear-cut number one, no matter where he goes.”
Gibson is currently in the NHL’s best tandem alongside sophomore goaltender Lukas Dostal. The duo each boast a .911 SV% and have combined to save 36 goals above expected so far this season.
Gibson started the season on IR while he was recovering from an appendectomy. He’s been reportedly dealing with a lingering upper-body injury that has kept him out for stretches in January and February. Friedman is reporting that his contract and his play are not issues for interested teams like they may have been in the past. The biggest issue is now his health.
“I also think Edmonton is just concerned if you pay, I don’t know what the price is, but I know Anaheim’s asked a lot,” Friedman said. “If you pay that price and he gets hurt during a playoff run or before a playoff run, I just don’t think they’re willing to gamble with that.
“I think the thing with Gibson is that, enough of his contract has gone by that you’re not really worried about the term anymore,” he continued. “It’s only two years after this one. He’s two times $6.4 (million). If you were to sign John Gibson to that deal right now, you’d say, ‘Okay, that’s a good deal. I can handle that.’ It’s purely about availability. That’s the thing that scares people about Gibson. It’s not the contract, it’s not the ability, it’s just the health.”
The Oilers might be the Stanley Cup favorite if the season were to end today and they didn’t make any upgrades to their roster. Acquiring Gibson may just put them over the top. Gibson has the ability to manage games on a micro level and has stolen his fair share of games during his time in Anaheim. As the Ducks are aware, he may not have the talent to carry and turn a poor roster into a playoff team, but he does have the talent to turn a playoff team into a cup-contender and a cup-contender (in need of a goalie) into a champion.
The Ducks are set to take on the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday with Gibson the likely starter after Dostal got the nod against the Oilers on Tuesday. One would imagine the Oilers front office will be paying very close attention to the Anaheim crease in this one.
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