Potential landing spots for Ducks goalie John Gibson

Gibson has plenty of starting experience and likely still has some miles left as a starter, or he could serve as a complementary No. 2 option for a team with playoff aspirations. Here are the three best landing spots for Gibson:

Buffalo Sabres

Led by a strong group of young forwards and a promising trio of young defensemen, the Sabres are poised to end their 12-year playoff drought. The one thing that’s missing? A goaltender. Sure, Buffalo signed Devin Cooley and Dustin Tokarski to matching one-year, $775,000 deals. 

However, the former has spent his career as a starter and backup in the AHL, while the latter has just 67 NHL starts since 2009, which includes sitting out five seasons along the way. Top prospect Devon Levi is still likely a year away from being NHL ready and Ukko Pekka-Luukkonen is presumably better suited in a No. 2 role right now.

New Jersey Devils

Vitek Vanecek won an impressive 68.7 percent of his starts last season. However, the Devils barely won over 50 percent of their games in which Vanecek didn’t start in goal. For a team that is built to compete for Stanley Cups over the next six years or so, a reliable No. 2 option between the pipes is a must. 

Gibson is only 29, and he has an accomplished resume that includes three NHL All-Star appearances and a William M. Jennings Trophy, which is awarded to the goaltender(s) who play for the team that allowed the fewest regular-season goals against. Gibson, who has a goals-against average of 2.99 or fewer in six of his nine seasons, would be a perfect complement to Vanececk.

Ottawa Senators

With Joonas Korpisalo locked down for the next four seasons, it would behoove the Senators to find a capable 1B goalie behind him and take some of the pressure off the 29-year-old’s shoulders. Gibson has started 35 or more games in eight straight seasons, and he’s started 50 or more games in five of the last six years. 

Bringing him into the fold allows Ottawa some flexibility if Korpisalo, who’s never started more than 35 games in any season, can’t handle making 40-50 starts per year. It also gives the team a goaltender with 26 games of playoff experience, should it need to lean on him during a possible surprise postseason run in 2023.