New Jersey Devils: Finding 3 John Gibson Trades That Make Sense

Trade 3

This one seems like it could be in the ballpark. The Devils are giving up two assets with a ton of question but an intense amount of upside, a player that gets the Ducks to the salary cap floor if that’s what they desire, and the Ducks have to eat a good portion of John Gibson’s contract. Does this trade favor the Devils? Well, yeah, but they are taking on a MAJOR risk in trading for Gibson in the first place. This isn’t someone like Connor Hellebuyck who is still one of the best in the league. It’s not even Sergei Bobrovsky who has a history of fluxation. Gibson has been average for three years and he’s paid like he’s great.

The Devils could make this happen and everyone comes out happy. The Ducks might not be that happy with the fact they have to pay for a contract for five years, but there seems to be no deal that makes sense where the Ducks aren’t swallowing a ton of that contract. They have to eat it, or they might get stuck with Gibson for another year.

The Devils are desperate to fix the goaltending position after years of dealing with Corey Crawford’s retirement, Bernier’s injury, and Blackwood’s regression. It’s just one thing after another. Gibson is at least consistent in net. He is there, and he’s not going to fall all over himself. He will stop pucks.

His numbers aren’t great, and that will have his value lower than in previous years, but the Ducks will look to sell to the highest bidder, and it seems likely that will be the Devils. This trade won’t make Ducks fans happy, but it will likely be the cost of doing business.