3 insane New Jersey Devils trade packages for John Gibson
The New Jersey Devils are reportedly checking in on Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson. What would it cost to acquire his services?
The New Jersey Devils haven't gotten the best goaltending of all time this season. They have one of the worst tandems in the league with Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid. Schmid is a good young prospect who has shown some promise but is a few years away from being number one on a championship team. However, Vanecek is a player that hasn't been good enough this year. It is hard to see the team making a significant run with him as the starter.
They may want to add some help this year so that they can take the next step as an organization. Adding someone like John Gibson is an option for them right now. According to James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now, Gibson is someone that the Devils could be targeting.
If the New Jersey Devils were to make such a move, they would have to send something back. The Anaheim Ducks might also have to eat some salary. If a trade were done, it might look something like this:
Devils-Ducks Trade
The New Jersey Devils may be able to land John Gibson for draft picks
The New Jersey Devils could want John Gibson but how much are they willing to give up for him? If all they need to do is send over a couple of draft picks, it should be an easy trade for them to make. This is a team trying to win now, so if adding a goalie upgrade costs some draft capital, that is okay. This is especially true if the Ducks are willing to take back some salary on Gibson's deal.
The Devils don't have a second in 2024, which is why they'd need to send their 2025 second-round pick to them here. The pick in the 2024 fifth round originally belonged to the Colorado Avalanche. Of course, there will need to be some cap gymnastics here. That can be addressed in separate deals or other fashions. However, there's an easier way to do it...
Ducks-Devils Trade
The New Jersey Devils and Anaheim Ducks have a lot of trade options
The New Jersey Devils may not get the Ducks to retain money on Gibson's contract but that could be fine if they took back Vitek Vanecek. The Devils may have to send over draft picks to get a deal like that done because it is a big-time downgrade in net for the Ducks.
Anaheim might have the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery on their mind at this point though. They are one of the worst teams in the league once again so being in the lottery mix one more time might be good for their franchise in the long term.
If they had Vanecek instead of Gibson for the rest of the year, they would have a much better chance at the number one pick in the draft. They'd never admit that is what they want, but it is. They got off to a decent start but they are at the bottom of the standings once again.
Being a worse team by downgrading in goal is worth it for the lottery odds, but adding more draft picks in the meantime is also helpful for them. The Ducks have some good young players like Mason McTavish, Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale, and Troy Terry, amongst others, but they need more.
Devils-Ducks Trade
There could be a world where the Anaheim Ducks want prospects back for John Gibson. Well, they aren't getting any A+ type guys like Simon Nemec or Luke Hughes. They also aren't even getting a guy like Alexander Holtz.
However, they may get a few players who are talented but don't have a path to the NHL with the Devils. Guys like Chase Stillman and Michael Vukojevic might be perfect for a deal like this.
Both of them are good and talented players but it is hard to see them ever being consequential players on this Devils team. Both have been in the organization for a few years now but may need to be with another team to have a legitimate shot.
The Devils are a very good team but they need better goaltending. If they don't get it soon, things might start to fall off a cliff. They've been winning despite the goaltending sometimes but the offense can only carry the load for so long.
Gibson isn't as good as he once was but the Ducks have been truly bad in front of him. If he came to the Devils where there would be a significant offensive and defensive upgrade in front of him, he might start to resemble his old self. That would be the hope if a trade like this went down.
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