John Gibson's play over the last couple weeks of the 2015-16 NHL season for the Anaheim Ducks could have potentially far-reaching consequences for the rest of the Ducks roster. While depth at all positions is, and always will be, paramount, when one player far outpaces the others, especially in net, it makes for an interesting situation. Can those other players - those players no longer deemed crucial to the season's outcome - possibly become the kind of asset that brings another, more sorely-needed asset, to the roster? That's the question that Ducks GM Bob Murray is likely asking himself right now. With Gibson playing like a man who doesn't want to return to the AHL anytime soon, or perhaps ever again - in five outings this year, Gibson has posted a .932 save percentage and a 1.87 goals against average - the question becomes: what does Murray do with Frederik Andersen and Anton Khudobin?
According to recent comments from NHL insider Darren Dreger, one of the two may be headed for a trade.
Citing the lack of strength in the goalie market at this point, Dreger suggested Thursday night, while appearing on TSN's Insider Trading, via Today's Slap Shot's transcription, that the Ducks have become a team to "keep an eye on." Per Dreger, Gibson's recent play has Murray and Co. considering trading either the recently injured Andersen or the consistently mediocre Khudobin.
Andersen, who started the season in net for Anaheim, has a 2.54 goals against average and a .914 save percentage through 16 games, 14 starts, this year. He's been dealing with the flu since Nov. 21, which opened the door for Gibson. He wasn't bad during the early portion of the season by any means, but he also hasn't been a world-beater and, while the sample size is small, he also hasn't been better than the 22-year-old Gibson.
It's likely the team will give Andersen the starting job back once he returns to health and when you take into account his contract - his cap hit for this season is just $1.15 million - it seems likely the team would rather keep him and, if they're going to move any of their netminders, make Khudobin the choice.
Acquired by Murray in a surprising move this offseason - since, you know, he already had Andersen and Gibson - Khudobin has been mediocre to start this season as well. Through eight games he has a .908 save percentage and a 2.70 goals against average. Of course, both Andersen's and Khudobin's lackluster overall play could be a function of the poor start for the entire Ducks team, but Gibson's recent inspired outings seem to throw a bit of cold water on that notion.
In the end, as Dreger himself notes, acquiring Andersen won't come cheap - Dreger posits that the asking price from Murray will be "extremely high" - and it makes sense. He's still young, 26, and he's a more than capable starter in the NHL. It'd be better for the Ducks season to have both Andersen and Gibson, two starting caliber netminders, on the roster as they chase down a Western Conference playoff spot.
But interest in Khudobin may be light. And Andersen will be a free agent on July 1, though, interestingly enough, so will Khudobin. If Gibson continues to play well, it really wouldn't be surprising to see either guy shipped out of town.
