The Detroit Red Wings made a bold move to acquire John Gibson to solidify the goalie position.
Although Detroit made the big move to trade for Gibson, Red Wings coach Todd McLellan says he has to earn the starting job. Detroit still has Cam Talbot under contract as well as top goalie prospect Sebastian Cossa.
With that, McLellan says ‘I don’t know who our starter is’ as training camp has opened up.
“I don’t know who our starter is,” McLellan said. “Obviously, Gibson is really important. But teams are proving year after year now that you need two guys to get the job done. It’s hard to stay at the top of your game over and over and over again if you’re just a single entity. We’ve got Talbs, we’ve got Gibby, we plan on playing them both and we expect a lot from both of them.”
It’s a surprise that McLellan didn’t name Gibson the starting goalie, given his pedigree and the fact that Detroit made the bold move to acquire him this offseason.
Gibson is also the highest-paid goalie as he’s earning $6.4 million this season, as he has two years left on his eight-year, $51.2 million deal.
Although McLellan wouldn’t name Gibson the starting goalie, it does seem likely he will be starting opening night for the Red Sox.
Red Wings GM Expected Gibson to Upgrade Goalie Position
Detroit made a bold move to acquire Gibson this offseason from the Anaheim Ducks.
After the trade was made, Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman said he expects Gibson to improve the goalie position.
“John has been, throughout the course of his career, a proven starter and a good starter in the NHL,” Yzerman said. “And you know, as Anaheim has gone through their rebuilding process, that probably affected his play a little bit. As their team gets better, they have a good young goaltender in Dostal. John is looking for more opportunity to play and we’re counting on him, obviously, to give us quality starts and upgrade our team net.”
The Red Wings traded goalie Petr Mrazek, a second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft, and a fourth-round selection in the 2026 NHL Draft for Gibson.
Gibson went 11-11-2 with a 2.77 GAA and a .912 SV% last season with the Ducks. He’s a three-time NHL All-Star.
Detroit Coach Says Upgrading Goalie is Key
The Red Wings failed to make the playoffs last season, and a key reason why was their goaltending.
Detroit struggled to get good goaltending throughout the season. After the year, the Red Wings fired their goalie coach, and McLellan said the team needed better goaltending.
“It might not seem significant in those roles, but those are significant roles,” McLellan said. “Those are important people in our organization, and those were really good people. I talked about our staff and how they fit in.
“It’s sometimes not a reflection on the job they do, but just something that we needed to do in the coach’s room to stir things up. We need better goaltending, and that’s not just on Alex Westlund. That’s on the goaltenders, the head coach and everybody else that’s involved in it.”
The Red Wings open their season on Oct. 9 against the Montreal Canadiens.
Red Wings Coach Makes Surprising 7-Word Comment on Goalie Position